Never Saw It Coming
by secondchances2014
Summary: An unexpected invitation to prom leads to the start of something new. But what exactly led up to the clandestine hand holding in the Lima Bean? Part 1 of my Wild Young Hearts Samcedes trilogy. Please bear in mind this was my first ever fic and I've tried to make it a little less rough around the edges on this repost!
1. Mercedes' Prom

**_This was originally chapter 2. The first chapter was Sam's Prom but as I'm reformatting and editing this fic I decided I didn't want the overlap in storytelling. Sam's version of the night's events can now be found as the final oneshot in my 'Samcedes Random Bits and Pieces' fic which has now been marked complete._**

* * *

Mercedes wasn't entirely sure if there was a specific event the night of the prom that made it so special - all she knew was that somehow it had turned out to be one of the best nights of her life.

The day hadn't started well. There were issues with her weave that refused to be resolved. She had wanted to go long and sleek with the hair for prom but the friend that was supposed to be coming to put it in suddenly wasn't and she was having to work with what she already had. If she could at least get the bangs smooth she may just be able to get the rest into a wavy look instead. This was really _not_ the day that she needed to be having hair issues!

But at least she liked the dress she was going to wear. She'd been in the thrift store with Rachel for less than 30 seconds when she saw the patch of purple sticking out among a group of dresses that clearly designed to fit the likes of Quinn who had no boobs or behind to speak of. The color immediately caught her eye and something made her just take a look. Maybe she could use it as inspiration to make an outfit or even just to buy it and take it apart to use for something else. That hot pink/purple shade complemented her skin beautifully and the sequins just screamed diva! And then by some amazing miracle it was actually in her size! Someone had clearly stuffed it in the wrong place and made her day. Kurt had also been on hand to advise on makeup and accessories and to buzz excitedly about going to prom with Blaine and now suddenly the hour was upon them.

When the knock came on the front door she was ready to go but didn't rush downstairs. She knew that her parents wanted to see who she was going with and listened carefully from her room as Rachel introduced Jesse and Sam to her parents. Sam was so polite to her father it made her smile. She knew her father made a scary first impression even though he was really just a giant teddybear. She could hear Sam thanking him for the honor of being able Mercedes to the prom and how he would make sure that he took good care of her. His humble tone made her smile. She knew her father was old fashioned and really liked that kind of thing. She also knew it was her cue to go downstairs before the conversation turned embarrassing.

As the dress was strapless she assured her father that she would keep her wrap on all evening even though she knew she was going to 'accidentally' leave it in the car all night. Rachel squealed when she saw the dress and hugged her tightly telling her that she looked absolutely beautiful. Jesse simply smiled and nodded (Mercedes was still struggling to forgive him for the egg incident), being far harder to win over than Rachel, and Sam just stood and looked darned cute with in his borrowed suit with the bolo tie. He had that cute lopsided grin that he pulled off so well and a look of appreciation for her outfit in his eyes although he wisely appeared to bite his tongue and refrain from making any complements in front of her parents.

Jesse drove quickly to Breadstix much to her relieve because she'd hardly eaten a thing all day due to nerves and was starving. Now that Rachel had included Jesse she was aware that she'd be left with Sam more and didn't know how that would be. They hadn't really talked much before and although she'd been to the motel a couple of times to babysit the kids while he was out delivering pizzas they hadn't had a huge amount of interaction. Aside from Glee he didn't really factor much in her world. He belonged to the Letterman wearing football team, he'd already dated both Quinn and Santana and she knew that there were other girls in the school who didn't know about his circumstances and were fascinated by this handsome mysterious stranger. From what she had observed for herself from Glee club he was a genuinely nice guy with a cute voice and a real talent for playing the guitar. And the Biebier experience had been strangely thrilling and fun but showed a depth of passion that she respected, even if she didn't share the same musical taste.

Within moments of arriving at the restaurant Jesse had is arm around the back of Rachel's seat as if marking his territory and most of their conversation was to the exclusion of Sam and Mercedes. It was initially difficult for her to start conversation once they'd ordered their food. She really wanted to ask after his family and express her genuine concern and see if there was anything more she could do to be of help but she quickly realized it was a bit of a taboo subject. This was clearly a night where he wanted focus on having fun outside of that motel room so she brought up the fascinating subject of what she'd discovered in his DVD collection. He'd sold loads but many he couldn't bear to be parted from, and they were _all_ sci-fi.

His ears turned slightly red. "You must think I'm a bit of a dork with all my sci-fi DVDs and comics."

"Actually, no. My brother was into all that stuff too. There's still loads of DVDs in his old room. I watch them in there sometimes when I miss him too much…" And the ice was broken, together with a promise to lend him some movies from the collection that he'd never seen or missed watching because of having to sell them.

Mercedes liked observing people and when Finn arrived with Quinn, instead of the concentrating fully on the competitive interaction between Finn and Jesse which was entirely predictable, she chose to see how Sam reacted to Quinn with Finn. After all, Finn was the reason they had broken up in the first place.

He did look annoyed but he couldn't tell if it was due to seeing her and Finn or if it was the interruption to their conversation and the bad feeling that was radiating between the two alpha males over Rachel. He also struggled to make eye contact with Quinn. That one would take a long time to heal. She decided it was time to make short shrift with Quinn so that she and Sam would be able to resume their conversation. Sam was actually pretty funny and when he laughed his hair did this cute thing that made her want to brush it out of his eyes. He told her about being a computer game nut and how it was his dream to one day design one. He had lots of great ideas for it.

Arriving at the prom was fun. As they entered, Sam took her arm and walked her in with a big smile. It was how she always felt she should enter a prom. On the arm of a cute guy who was showing her a good time. It didn't take them long to get a table together with Rachel and Jesse but yet again the other two seemed to be in a world of their own. This time she didn't mind so much as she and Sam had pretty much in a world of _their_ own for the last hour. But now things changed. The Glee girls came squealing over, comparing notes on dresses, hair and makeup. Of course Kurt had the final say on the matter and declared them all divas, including himself in his genuine kilt. He was excited because Blaine and the Warblers were going to perform a surprise guest appearance.

Puck came past Mercedes with an appreciative glance. "Damn!" he said emphatically. "I shouldn't have wasted my chance when I had it!" The comment didn't go down well with Lauren who declared herself more than enough woman for him.

Sam had leaned towards her and asked what Puck had meant by that comment. She laughed it off, "Oh, Puck and I had the briefest of things going on. But he didn't know how to treat a woman right so it ended before it had even started! The guy had no idea how to actually woo a woman!"

Mercedes liked the fact that Sam had been curious. He clearly knew that Puck had been through all the Glee girls but for some reason it hadn't occurred to him that it may have included Mercedes. It seemed to annoy him slightly which amused her greatly and she gave him a playful nudge.

Suddenly felt an arm around her waist. "Sorry guys!" she breathed as she was swirled onto the dance floor by a dashingly handsome Blaine while Kurt looked on approvingly. She was having a whale of a time! And to think that she very nearly didn't come to the prom! She was grateful for Rachel not allowing her to hide herself away but for understanding what she meant. She didn't NEED a man, but it sure as hell was good to have one on your arm on a night like prom! And the idea of asking Sam had been inspired. She was really enjoying his company and honestly could not think of anyone she'd rather have come with (except maybe Kurt in the days before Blaine.)

As she made her way around the dance floor she noticed that Quinn didn't seem her usual bright self. Possibly nerves, everyone knew that she was desperate to be voted prom queen and the competition between her and Lauren had been vicious. But there was something in the way that she stared anxiously at Finn that betrayed her true feelings. Mercedes missed how close they'd become during her pregnancy. She would have confided in her at that time but wasn't confiding in her anymore. She knew that Quinn felt that Finn was the key to her popularity but there was something of the desperation about her recently. She was definitely feeling threatened by Finn's obvious hostility towards Jesse and she was keeping him close. Mercedes made a mental note to try and talk to her during the course of the evening then realized that technically she had come with Quinn's ex so maybe this location wasn't the best timing.

But right now she was getting her groove on with Artie. She loved that he'd done his hair up with a bit of funk for the night. She could also see that it pained him to see Brittany flitting around the floor dancing with everyone else's men as she'd vowed to during Glee club but he was still getting on and having a good time. It had been a while since she'd hung out with him and she'd forgotten how much fun he was.

Tired after a particularly 'grinding' dance session with Santana, Mercedes finally returned to her seat. Everyone else was dancing, Rachel with Jesse while watching Finn and Quinn over his shoulder and Sam was with Santana. Even tho she knew things were over between them she couldn't help feeling a little defensive of him. Satan was a man eater and Sam had simply been chewed up and eaten by her, like many others before him, but he really hadn't deserved it. Especially as his relationship with Quinn had ended because she was cheating. She always enjoyed watching people and now was no exception. It made her happy seeing other people being happy.

The music changed to a slower tempo and the pairs on the dance floor drew closer together. Santana and Karofsky looked strangely uncomfortable while Mike and Tina were perfectly in sync. This was the point in the evening that she'd been dreading. The moment when she wished she could be swept up in the arms of somebody who cared about her and truly made her feel beautiful. With a heavy heart she sipped her drink and tried to make herself invisible. She looked back at Mike and Tina. That's the kind of relationship she'd like to have. It's wasn't just about the romance, it was about being part of something that makes you complete. To be a friend is just as important. To have things in common and just be able to spend time together without obligation. She loved seeing Mike and Tina when they thought nobody else was looking. They had such an easiness together. They didn't even need to be looking at each other or to be actually touching in order to feel close. And they could find humor even in the most nonsensical conversations. A bit like she'd done with Sam at Breadstix.

Sam… That guy was certainly an enigma and she'd been pleasantly surprised. Obviously she already knew there was more to him than being the blonde guy with the huge lips who was currently homeless, but today was the first time she'd had the opportunity to scratch below the surface and the more she scraped away the more she liked what she saw.

"Mercedes" – her thoughts were interrupted by the guy himself. He looked nervous as he continued, "I just wanted to say that you look beautiful tonight." She had no idea how to respond tot hat and was unnerved by the fact that her heart had strangely skipped a beat at the words. But there was no time to assess the situation because his hand was stretched out towards her and he was asking her to dance. Before she could even think of a reply her body took over and she was on her feet being led towards a space on the dance floor.

She looked up and caught the eye of Rachel as she sang on stage. Rachel smiled at her and she felt good. Sure Rachel had probably put him up to come over and dance with her but to hell with it - this was her moment and she was going to enjoy it! Plenty of time to overanalyze it later.

As she felt his arms fold around her it suddenly occurred to Mercedes that this was only the second time she'd ever slow danced with a guy and she was very much enjoying the feeling of being pressed against his firm body. The fact that he worked out was very evident in the solidness of his arms and chest. The first time had been with Kurt who was decidedly shorter and softer. This was at the prom. With her_ prom date_. And she was finally getting to have her 'moment'. Somehow suddenly her head was resting on his chest. She had no idea how it got there, but if she moved away it would just look weird so she kept it there. Besides, it felt pretty good there. She liked the way that she fit into his arms. It was so comfy and she had no desire to move away. She willed Rachel to sing her song forever but it ended much much too soon.

She'd expected Sam to immediately release her and move on but the second the music changed tempo but instead he simply spun her out without letting go of her hand. He did it with such force after such a slow song that she felt she was being thrown across the room and it caught her breath and made her giggle. She met his eyes which were bright with amusement and they continued to twirl each other until they fell back into each other's arms, dizzy and trying to hold each other up. It felt good to be back there.

Mercedes expected Sam to withdraw now that she'd had a full dance with him but instead he started pulling some of the goofiest dance moves in front of her that she'd ever seen and the louder she laughed the sillier he got until she joined in. And they just kept on dancing – stupid stuff – the 'robot', the 'running man', the 'twist' and 'Vogue' all made an appearance and soon her stomach was hurting, no longer from nerves but from laughter.

Eventually she had to beg for mercy. She needed to sit down and have a drink. She watched him head over the punch bowl which had been closely guarded by coach Sylvester and found herself admiring the broadness of his shoulders as he walked. And he had a pretty good butt for a white guy too! She could certainly see why so many girls admired him. Even though he was nothing like the kind of guy she would normally go for, she had to admit she was starting to find him more and more attractive by the moment. By the time he returned with the drinks she was starting to wonder if she was developing a little crush on him and suddenly she started to feel nervous. But if he noticed any change in her he didn't react, chatting animatedly about Avatar while she sipped her drink, and she relaxed back into conversation and laughter.

This boy could do impressions of Glee club members so well that she laughed so hard she again could barely breathe! Considering she'd come to dance, she was now zoned out of the music and fully focused on the way those luscious lips moved as he talked and the way his brow tightened with concentration as he tried to get each impression as accurate as possible. Her favorite was Mr Schue and his obsession with vests and Journey songs. His one of Kurt was spot on but a little too close to home.

Suddenly prom was over. Somehow she'd missed the last dance. It would have been wonderful to have been back in Sam's arms for it but she was happy to settle for his 110% rapt attention at the table. He was really taking the time to entertain her and she appreciated it. Rachel came over and informed them that her dad was outside ready to drive them home. After Jesse St Jerkoff (the name Sam had given him when he did his scarily accurate impression) had gotten into the fight with Finn, Rachel had refused to talk to him and he'd been sent away early so she'd organized the alternative ride.

As they walked to the car Sam excused himself and vanished for a moment. Mercedes wanted to turn and see where he'd gone but Rachel was talking to her and she couldn't break the conversation.

"I can't believe you told Sam to tell me I looked beautiful and ask me to dance!" Mercedes wanted to feel more angry about this but the memory of the dance softened it.

Rachel's eyes widened in feigned innocence. "No I didn't! Well not exactly."

"What do you mean not exactly?"

"He told me that he thought you looked beautiful tonight. I just told him that telling me was a waste. He should tell you that himself."

By this time they'd stepped out into the dark night and Mercedes was relieved as it meant the blush that had just risen to her face would have remained invisible. So he'd actually meant it when he said she looked beautiful. Why was finding this out such a thrill?

Sam met them at the car. His face was flushed from rushing and for some reason she felt she could no longer look directly at him in case her face was reflecting the myriad of emotions that were flowing through her at this moment. As they travelled, she felt that he was looking at her even though he was facing forward so she pretended to be staring out the window when really she was staring into herself and trying to work out exactly what it was that she was seeing there. She kept replaying various elements of the night but it always kept coming back to that feeling of being in his arms for that slow dance and how her body had reacted in a wholly unexpected way.

Before she knew it they were stopped outside her home and she was thanking Mr Berry for the ride. But before she could get out Sam had sparked back to life and insisted on opening her door and walking her to the door so she took his arm and they walked up in silence. He looked disturbed and she wondered if she'd done something wrong. He paused and stared at her with such an intensity that it unnerved her yet made her stomach flip at the same time.

"Are you OK Sam?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course." But he looked wretched. He kept nervously biting his bottom lip and she couldn't take her eyes off it. She realized that she liked that bottom lip. _A lot. _

Suddenly there was a beautiful but slightly crushed flower in his hand. "Um… Mercedes… I know this has been a pretty unorthodox evening but if I'd been able to do things properly I would have got you a corsage for tonight… I know it's the end of the night and its super cheesy but I still wanted you to have this to thank you for escorting me to prom tonight. It matches your dress and is almost as beautiful as you are."

She giggled nervously, wishing it were true. What she wanted to do was throw her arms around him in a massive hug, kiss him on the cheek and thank him for a wonderful night. But she dared not. She didn't trust herself to not ruin the beginning of what could actually be a wonderful friendship.

As she put the key in the door he grabbed her hand and softly kissed it like an old fashioned gentleman. The perfect ending to a perfect night. As she closed the door behind her she tried to tell herself that he had not lingered slightly longer with her hand than was strictly necessary…

Her parents were in the kitchen with hot chocolate waiting to hear all about her night. She'd barely said hello before her phone buzzed with a text message. 'Thnx 4 the amazing night Cedes. I had a really gr8 time. It was perfect. Sam x'

Frustratingly it took a long time to untangle herself from her parents. She stared at her now empty hot chocolate mug and wished to be left alone so that she could reply to her text. But they asked so many questions about everything and weren't happy until they'd had a blow by blow account of what had happened.

She even told them about the fight between Jesse and Finn. They'd find out anyway and she figured it was better coming from her. But she skimmed over what happened to Kurt, instead going into detail on what he was wearing and the fact that he'd brought Blaine as his guest.

They asked about Sam and she struggled with her composure at the mention of his name. They already knew of his family situation but knew little of him as a person. She told them that he was a lot like her brother. Especially with his love of all things sci-fi. This description seemed to please them and she was quickly able to turn the direction of the conversation to what everyone had been wearing.

Eventually, after they'd eventually exhausted all of their questions, she was allowed upstairs to the privacy of her room where she immediately pulled out the phone and re-read the message.

_He said the night had been perfect._

She pondered briefly over what to say before sending her reply. He'd put a kiss on the end of his so she did too. Usually she never put kisses on texts to guys with the exception of Kurt and she'd lingered a little before hitting 'send' but once it was gone it was gone.

After 5 minutes passed without a reply she assumed he'd gone to sleep and did the same herself. But not after spending a little time dwelling on the fact that he thought she was beautiful…

* * *

24 hours without a reply made her feel a lot differently about the night. Having had extra time she realized she must have misread the evening. Sam was a cute popular guy. What would he be doing thinking about a girl like her? His mind was probably still on Quinn as most guys always were. Yes he'd held her close for the slow dance, but that's what you're supposed to do in a slow dance. He was probably imagining that she was Quinn! She laughed to herself at the irony of that statement and finished peeling the potatoes for dinner.

She'd already learned the hard lesson about crushing on guys from her experience with Kurt. It was just one night with Sam and she had gained a friend a friend from it. There was no harm done. She hadn't behaved in a way to make herself look silly so there was no need to keep dwelling on it.

Besides... It's not like she was even into blonds or anything!


	2. Monday

Mercedes didn't see Sam anywhere on Monday until Glee club after school. Not that she usually did but she wondered if their paths would cross today and if he would speak to her. Something had changed between them and she was still figuring it out. Whatever she had rationalized this into, whatever _this _was, she was still looking forward to having him as a friend. They didn't share any classes on a Monday but she wondered if their paths might cross at any random point like the lunch room.

When she walked into the rehearsal room at the end of the day there was no sign of him. Everyone was mostly early and still buzzing about prom, and it would have been nice to have shared the buzz with him. Feeling slightly sad, she took a place at the back next to Kurt and Tina. Mike had a doctor's appointment and Tina was looking bereft sitting without him. It suddenly seemed like prom was already a long time ago and it was an age since she had seen him and the other Gleeks apart from Kurt.

She, Kurt and Blaine had met in The Lima Bean the night before and talked through what had happened at prom. Luckily, the fact that she'd gone with Sam didn't even factor into the conversation as they spent the entire time discussing what had happened to Kurt. And there was definitely plenty to muse over such as who might have been behind it and why on earth as Principal, Figgins hadn't simply taken matters into his own hands and refused to read the name from the card. Although she and Blaine had given him as much reassurance as they possibly could, she knew it was still a struggle for Kurt to come to school and hold his head up knowing the prom queen vote had been rigged.

He smiled at her and took some deep breaths to calm his nerves. Of all the places to feel safe, Glee club was the best of them. But an entire day's tension doesn't disappear in five minutes and she placed a comforting hand on his leg. She was well aware that his defence shields were still set to maximum. She'd promised she would be there for him on his first day back at school and she had been. It had been the focus of her entire day and a welcome distraction from her thoughts of Sam. She'd even forgiven Kurt for the endless looks to his iPhone, clearly counting down the minutes of the day until he could go and meet Blaine again.

Sam eventually came in late. Scanned the seats looking for her in the group, and shot her a lopsided grin before taking a seat at the front next to Puck. Lauren hadn't been seen all day. Mercedes suspected she'd crawled into a hole somewhere to vent her rage on not being voted prom queen.

All the same, Mercedes was happy that Sam had smiled at her. A small part of her had worried that Saturday would remain firmly in history and that come Monday morning the fairytale would be over. This was high school and there was a food chain. He would return to being a jock, she would return to the lower end where she dwelled in contentment and nothing would ever be mentioned between them again. But she hated herself for thinking like that. She really wanted Sam to prove that he was different. The way he'd acted on Saturday had let her to hope that he might be.

Mr Schue started the class by thanking them for their performances at the prom, with special commendation for Rachel's use of emotion in her voice while singing Jar of Hearts. She beamed proudly while Finn hung his head in embarrassment and Quinn looked positively ill. It hadn't been a great night for either of them and Quinn was regretting parading around with Breadstix with him at the beginning of the night. Her plan for being prom queen had backfired spectacularly and she only had herself to blame. But despite the drama everyone agreed that it had been a pretty amazing song. Mercedes caught Santana's eye. Because of course Mr Schue would never give any commendation to their rendition of Dancing Queen, just as their rendition of Riveer Deep Mountain High had been everyone else's first choice but his. The assignment he set for the week was 'TV Theme Songs' and she quickly became lost in thought trying to come up with an inspired selection. It made the time pass more quickly and before she knew it Glee was over.

As she headed out after class she noticed Sam fall into step behind her. Maybe he wasn't avoiding her after all. He hitched his bag higher on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I fell asleep before I could reply to your text Mercedes."

She smiled. "Don't worry. I thought that's what had happened."

"I share the phone with my parents now so I don't have it with me all the time."

She understood what he was trying to say and placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "You already thanked me on Saturday. And we both had a great time."

He appeared to want to say more but have no idea what so he shoved his hands into his pockets, shot her a lopsided grin and said his goodbyes.

"Do you want a ride?" The question was spontaneous and caught her by surprise as much as it did him.

"Actually I was just going to walk..."

Suddenly she knew how her offer sounded but she wasn't doing it out of pity. "It's not far out of my way and in case you hadn't notice its started raining."

Mercedes sounded like she wasn't going to take no for an answer and Sam was not about to argue. He was starting to realize what it was that people found scary about Mercedes Jones. Once her mind was made up it was made up! Plus he didn't particularly want to walk home in the rain if he really didn't have to. He hadn't realized that it was going to rain and had forgotten to bring his Letterman jacket.

They ran quickly to the car, Mercedes protecting her weave with her science folder. Once inside the car they again fell naturally into conversation. She was pleasantly surprised when the first thing he did ask her how Kurt was doing. She hadn't expected him to show such an interest as it was such an unlikely friendship, but after a few moments she remembered that Kurt was helping him even before she had been, so really she shouldn't have been so surprised at all. Before she knew it, the short drive was over and they were pulling into the motel parking lot. She could see his shoulder slump as they pulled into a free space. It really did have such a depressing atmosphere, and the rain just made it seem even more grey and stark. There was nothing homely about the place.

"Mom says you're coming to babysit tomorrow afternoon." He seemed to be having a little trouble with the seatbelt.

"Yeah. Just for a short while."

"Cool. Maybe I might see you before I go to work." Finally he'd managed to work himself free and seemed embarrassed that it had taken him so long to work it out.

Reluctantly Sam jumped out of the car, turned his head, made the Vulcan symbol with the fingers on his right hand and whispered 'Live long and prosper' before running to the front door of the motel room. Mercedes couldn't help but shake her head and grin at his cheesiness. That boy really was something else.

As she pulled away, he stood and waited for her car to turn out of sight before sighing and going in.


	3. More Than Meets The Eye

"Sam? Is that you?"

Sam pushed the weights back up to their stand and sat up. It was after school and usually by this time the gym was empty but to his utter surprise Mercedes was standing across from him, smiling. She was wearing sweat pants and a vest that he couldn't help was being more than supportive of her ample bust. It had been a couple of weeks since prom and they were definitely friends in a way that they weren't before. He'd even stopped feeling self-conscious when she periodically offered him a ride home. And he was definitely more likely to be around, even for just a minute or two, whenever she was at the motel to babysit.

She returned the smile he shot at her with one that looked positively radiant. "I heard singing and I thought I recognized your voice."

"Yeah that was me." He rubbed the back of his neck. Now that his hair was getting long it seriously tickled and had given him the new habit. "Now that I don't have my iPod I have to make my own music to work out to." Man he missed his iPod! But as with all the other things that had monetary value but were not personally essential, it had had to go. Things like groceries were far more important these days. He grinned at her. "I didn't know you came to the gym!" His surprise was genuine, but he didn't mean it in an insulting way.

Mercedes clearly didn't find it insulting either because she smiled her cute smile and sat on the next bench across from him. "Not a lot of people do. I started coming with Kurt when he went through his 'macho' phase – please don't ask!" she rolled her eyes. "He stopped coming pretty quickly due to Karofsky being a regular here and making his life a nightmare but I still come once or twice a week to do some spinning."

Every time Sam had a conversation with this girl she never failed to shock him with new something about herself. Today was proving to be no exception. _The Force is strong with this one _he thought to himself.

He could see that her eyes were drawn to his belly and he touched it nervously. "I know. My belly's been getting big lately..."

She threw her head back and laughed. Then she stopped after a few seconds when she realized that he didn't join her in the laughter. "You _do_ realize that you're _totally_ _ripped_ right?"

Sam remained unconvinced. "Word is out my friend!" She put on a Southern accent and grinned lecherously. "Word in the girl's changing room is that your body's mighty fine and from where I'm sitting I'd have to agree!"

He smiled at the impression but the smile didn't quite reach is eyes.

Mercedes shot him the look that she sometimes gave. Intent like she was a computer reading and scanning then processing him. He didn't like that look because it usually preceded her telling him something that was true, but not necessarily what he was wanting to hear. This was to be no exception.

"Rocky Horror." She said the words slowly and carefully.

"What?"

"When we did Rocky Horror together you thought you looked fat in those gold shorts."

Sam felt the color rising in his face. She'd hit the nail on the head and it made him feel extremely uncomfortable. "I was feeling very exposed that day," he said coldly.

Mercedes' eyes narrowed. She clearly didn't appreciate the change in tone. "Look, I was only trying to-"

"And I'm trying to tell you that _I don't want to talk about it!_" Sam's skin felt like it was burning and his heart was racing with anger. He leaned back and resumed pushing the weights. He knew he was being irrational. But he couldn't help it. She'd touched a nerve and he couldn't tell her why. He needed to take a moment in order to keep his cool.

After a few seconds he stopped again, took a few deep breaths and turned to her "Mercedes I-"

But she was gone.

Sam felt totally wretched. He knew he was totally at fault for this one. His snippiness had been totally uncalled for. He hadn't meant to be so mean to his new friend but hadn't been able to control his response fast enough.

And it really hurt him that he'd upset her.

* * *

The folded piece of paper contained one word. 'Sorry'. Without turning her head she could feel Sam looking at her from 2 desks across, anxiously awaiting a response.

She stared at it for a few seconds then folded the paper back up, stuffed it into the back of her book and continued to focus on the teacher and what was being written on the board. She wasn't actually mad at Sam anymore but he didn't need to know that just yet.

She had been mad last night though. Crazy mad. How _dare_ he speak to her like that! Against her will Mercedes had actually shed tears when she got in her car to head home from the gym! How on earth was she supposed to understand what was going on? Why was there suddenly a problem? They'd been getting on well over recent weeks and this was the first time she'd ever heard such a cold tone in his voice. There's no way she would ever tolerate being spoken to like that by anyone!

But when she'd gone to bed that night and played the conversation back over and over she'd come to realize that all definitely was not all it seemed. The change in tone was too sudden. It was like he hadn't intentionally thought to be rude. It was more like she'd somehow touched a nerve and he was _reacting_ rather than replying.

That gave her pause and made her wonder. She'd seen that type of reaction before in a friend that had a problem. Maybe she had walked out too fast.

But Mercedes also accepted that if she hadn't left when she did she probably would have diva'd out on him and responded in a way that she would have regretted.

She sighed inwardly.

_This conversation was by no means over!_

* * *

"Mercedes please –"

Sam had grabbed her arm as he followed her out of the classroom and he was not letting her go. She turned and looked him in the eyes.

His eyes looked very sorry and any residual anger which may have remained in her fell away.

"About yesterday-" He looked so uncomfortable.

"I know Sam." She sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day. "I'm sorry too. I should have taken the hint and not pushed you. You wanted me to drop the subject and I didn't." She took a deep breath. "How about a coffee? Whenever Kurt and I lock horns, we always smooth it over a mocha at The Lima Bean."

"But I don't have any ca-"

"Hush! This coffee is my peace offering for upsetting you." It was the return of the tone that said she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Sam was unusually quiet in the car on the way to Lima Bean. She could see that he was still feeling bad about what had happened between them so she touched his arm to reassure him that she really wasn't mad at him any longer.

* * *

They sat in the corner near the back. Even with the drink in hand he still looked fidgety.

"How do you do it?" The question had suddenly and randomly burst out of his mouth like a bullet.

"Do what?" Mercedes felt like she had joined the conversation somewhere in the middle. _What the hell was the boy talking about?_

The pause was excruciating but she patiently continued to wait for him to speak.

"I mean... How do you break with convention? I know you were in the Cheerios for a short while. But they're so obsessed with body image. Even Quinn was always being careful what she ate!"

So _this_ was what was burning through his mind. Even though he hadn't said the exact words she knew exactly what he was trying to ask. Mercedes paused briefly before giving her reply.

"I like being me. I wasn't always this comfortable about my size. And to be honest there are still plenty of days when I look in the mirror and get really unhappy. But this _is_ me. I was born this way. I wasn't born to be skinny. I've _never_ been skinny, not even as a child. I tried several times to lose the weight but it just doesn't shift. Besides, I'm not going to lie, I love my snacks and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. All I do is make sure that I'm not too unhealthy and unfit. Yes I like my food, but I have my daily fruit and vegetables along with everything else and I make sure that I can always fit enough to keep up with the dancing in Glee club just like everyone else."

She could see him leaning forward, drink forgotten, concentrating on every word so she continued. "Even when I was in the Cheerios, though I mostly sang, I was also able to keep up with a lot of their dancing. And as you saw yesterday, sometimes I even go to the gym to work out. I think there's nothing wrong with being big as long as you're not totally unfit and can handle yourself." She broke out in a smile. "Hell, _most_ diva sisters are big. And between you and me I think it helps with the voice! Besides, I see the glances I get from some of the boys when they think I don't notice. And we won't even _begin _to discuss Puck and his roving hands…"

Sam looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. She could see him carefully processing all of her words and she hoped she'd managed to put herself across well.

"That's such an amazing attitude!"

She gave him a small smile. "I try... Listen Sam, it didn't happen overnight but it _is_ possible to be comfortable in your own skin."

Sam took a long gulp from his drink and sank back into the chair. She sensed he was about to say something big and waited in total silence until he was ready to talk. "I used to be fat." His voice was low and didn't seem to be addressed to anybody in particular.

_Whoa! WHAT did he just say?_ She nearly choked on her drink and looked at him incredulously. Sam kept his eyes firmly on the table as he continued to speak. "In my old school I got bullied for my weight and for my lips. I couldn't change my lips but the kids were so hurtful that I did lose the weight and change my body out of sheer determination."

Mercedes couldn't imagine him any shape other than Adonis. And she definitely couldn't picture him being bullied. To get slushied for being in Glee club must have been a really big thing for him after thinking he'd escaped bullying from his last school.

She watched him continue to finger his paper cup nervously and he still didn't look up. "I never used to play sports. I was just the fat kid with big lips who couldn't read well. When I lost the weight, got into sports in a big way and started to work out I simply became the kid with the big lips who couldn't read well. I even had my own version of Karofsky to deal with. It was never ending. McKinley High was my fresh start. For the first time in my life I finally got what I always wanted. What I had always dreamed of. To be the jock who got the pretty girls instead of being the bullied fat kid." He squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. "Now you know why Santana singing Trouty Mouth upset me as much as it did. It was an amazing tune but it brought back too many bad memories."

Mercedes had no idea what to say. It explained so much. _I can't believe he's telling me all this stuff! _She reached across the table and put her hands over his and hoped that he would understand that she was trying to be comforting. He looked up at her, glassy eyed and appreciative. "Does anybody at this school know about this?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Only Quinn. The one time we had a really deep conversation I told her. She seemed really surprised and slightly annoyed. But then she told me that she used to be fat too. Until Lauren's exposure of it for prom votes I was the only one who knew. It drew us together. In fact sharing those stories is what made me decide to give her the ring. I really believed at that point that I'd truly got to know her. And being with Quinn gave me the kind of popularity I could only have dreamed of in my old school. It completed my transformation. I wanted to hold on to that forever."

It made perfect sense but Mercedes really didn't want this to turn into yet another conversation about Quinn. They'd been down that particular dead end on more than one occasion. She decided to try and lighten the mood. "So, Sam Evans, what you're trying to say is that you are actually _a fraud_!"

He finally smiled, seeing where she was going with her point. "Yeah, I guess so. The hair's full of lemon juice, the body takes a lot of maintenance and I try to keep my dorkiness to a minimum by keeping my comics firmly zipped up in my bag and only speaking Na'vi around friends who understand it!"

Mercedes laughed and was thrilled when he joined in. Her Sam was back!

Now it was time for him to raise an eyebrow. "Did you mean what you said yesterday about me being 'totally ripped'?"

"Absolutely!" She was secretly mortified by those words having left her mouth. Classic example of mouth spewing things before checking them with brain first for appropriateness. _Worse still - he had clearly been thinking about it!_ At home she had wondered if that statement of hers had crossed the line between friendship and flirting.

"Because you see, when it comes to my body there's a bit of disagreement between what I see in the mirror and what's actually there."

Mercedes decided to still keep it light. "Don't worry! If you ever need a second opinion I'd be more than happy to take a look and provide you with one free of charge!" She shot him a dimpled grin. _OMG was she just flirting for real this time?_

Sam simply laughed. "Sounds like something Puck would say for all the girls!"

"Too true!"

And just like that their normal conversation was back.

Before getting back into the car Sam held out his arms. "Hug it out?"

Mercedes didn't need telling twice. She enjoyed being squeezed then squealed as he picked her up and swung her around laughing. Then he bent down and buried his head in her neck and stayed very still for a moment.

He released her from his arms but still kept his hands on her shoulder. Eyes were serious this time.

"Let's not fight again Cedes."

"Hell no! Of course not!" She sounded strong, but on the inside she was getting more than a little bit gooey. Sam Evans was definitely dangerous to her emotional wellbeing!


	4. Avatar

Mercedes' plans for the day had changed so many times that she didn't know if she was coming or going. First she was supposed to be babysitting Sam's brother and sister but eventually wasn't needed after all. Then Rachel had invited her to come round for lunch. She'd been at the point of nearly being ready to leave when Rachel called to say that there were unexpected visitors to the house and could they please do tomorrow instead.

She was just starting to relish the idea of having not only the rest of the Saturday to herself, but also the house as her dad was attending a dental conference and her mom had decided to join him when there was a sudden there was a knock at the door. She was amazed to see Sam standing there and invited him straight in. It turned out that he'd swung by to return her Tupperware container which had been filled with home baked muffins and cookies for the kids on her last babysitting session. Without an oven in the motel room they'd missed out on little treats like that and Mercedes loved to bake.

"So are you on your way to work?" She noticed that Sam wasn't wearing the usual pizza restaurant shirt that she was used to seeing him in outside of school.

"Not til later. There weren't any spare shifts until tonight so I actually get most of the day free. I'm just on my way to Kurt and Finn's to watch a movie. Blaine and Mike are going and we're making it a boys thing."

Mercedes rolled her eyes, knowing all about Kurt's DVD collection and accurately predicting that there would be nothing in it which would be of any interest to Sam or any of the others except maybe Blaine. "And have you actually _seen_ Kurt's movie collection?"

"No. Should I be worried?"

"I don't know… Maybe Finn might have something you guys'll like. Or why don't you take something from here with you." She pointed to the extensive collection they had in her home.

"Kurt will never let me suggest something." Sam looked horrified at the idea.

"Don't be so silly. He won't mind. I've been drip feeding him good movies for years and believe me, Finn and Mike will _definitely _thank you for it.

Sam seemed unsure so Mercedes decided the easiest thing to do would be to ring Kurt and _tell_ him that she was sending Sam over with a movie so that hopefully by the time Sam reached there, Kurt's dramatic huffing and puffing would be over.

It took several rings for him to pick up and when he did he sounded like he's just woken up.

"Hey Kurt! Why aren't you up yet?"

There was a pause on the line "I've been up since 2am. Clearly something I ate is having a disagreement with my belly. I spoke to Blaine earlier and he says the same. I've taken to my sick bed and need someone to mop my brow."

Mercedes laughed. "Well I'm certainly not volunteering for the job! I won't keep you on the phone. I just wanted to tell you that I'm sending Sam over with a DVD so that he doesn't have to sit through any of your ones."

"Oh my god…" the tone of voice and groan conveyed the message that Kurt had totally forgotten about the DVD plan for the day. As it had turned out, Finn had gone out early, Mike had texted to say that he had to go to some Asian event with Tina at the last moment and he and Blaine remained sick in their respective beds. Somehow Sam, without a phone, was the only one who wasn't in the loop about the change of plans.

"Don't worry I'll tell him. You just concentrate on getting better!"

Sam was busy fingering her brother's 3 disk collector's edition box set of Avatar when she approached him. "I have some bad news. Kurt's sick and the whole movie afternoon thing's fallen apart."

His face immediately fell. "Oh! Well... I guess I should just get back and make the most of having some rest time before my shift tonight." He sounded disappointed and forced a smile as he put the case back into its place. "Glad I found out before I walked all the way over there!"

Mercedes felt sorry for him. This was probably his first chance in ages to let loose and have some social time and it had fallen through before he'd even got there. Then she had an idea. "Look. Rachel's just cancelled on me for lunch. I was just going to hang out on my own with a big grilled cheese, some munchies and a movie. I know it's not as exciting as an afternoon with the boys but do you, you know… to join me?"

She stopped breathing for a few seconds. _I can't believe I've just asked Sam Evans to hang out with me!_

Sam looked unsure and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Unless you have other plans…" She knew for a fact that he didn't. His mom had cancelled her babysitting as she was taking the kids to spend the day with one of their friends so there would be nobody at the motel.

Sam shook his head slowly. Of course he didn't have any plans. And he liked spending time with Mercedes Then he looked back over to where he'd replaced the Avatar DVD and shot her one of his lopsided grins, knowing she would be able to read what was going through his mind at that moment.

She beamed back at him. "Well go grab it then! I'll get the sandwiches on!"

Suddenly feeling shy she fled into the kitchen where she paused for a moment, thinking about what she'd just done. Somehow, she had asked Sam to hang out with her, hand he was actually going to do it. Avatar was a long ass movie and it would just be her and him for the whole time! The thought made her anxious and excited at the same time and she couldn't believe the way that her hands started to shake as she put together some food for them.

By the time she went back out with a tray of goodies the blinds were shut, the DVD was on the menu screen and he was comfortably sprawled on her couch reading through the booklet that came with it. She paused for a second at the weirdness of the situation. Sam Evans, one of the coolest guys in school was in her house, sitting on her couch, about to spend the afternoon with her and _just_ her. It had been several days since their conversation at the Lima Bean and they'd barely spoken as their paths simply hadn't crossed, but she felt that there had been a subtle shift in their relationship from that moment. The intimacy of a shared secret.

And she _really_ liked the way that he had instantly made himself at home at her house.

"Budge up!" Sam made space for her on the couch and she sat down, enjoying the feeling of being alone with a guy. She only ever got to do this kind of thing with Kurt but it would be a with musical not sci-fi. Plus Sam was taller and his physique was more 'manly'. And for some strange reason, the killer was that he smelled of soap. Nothing fancy. Just soap. Like he'd just jumped out of the shower or something! Such a simple thing. Yet strangely masculine and _HOT!_

For such a long movie the time passed frustratingly quickly. Sandwiches and fruit were eaten, drinks were refilled and she was blown away by just how much Na'vi Sam could actually speak. And of course by his ability to keep making her laugh shone through. So many times he could recite a scene word for word. She saw every emotion pass over his face during the course of the movie and he got excited when he pointed out his favorite parts and she responded because most of them were hers too. And she could have sworn he teared up a little right near then end!

Plus she was really enjoying the feel of him sitting on the two-seater beside her. They were close enough for their sides to be touching and she was overwhelmingly aware of his manliness.

But it did eventually finish and the credits rolled. Now was the decision time. How much longer could she keep him here before this magic afternoon ended? "Shall we watch the extra-"

Sam already had the remote and the second disk. He seemed in no hurry to leave either.

But at 5pm he finally started to stir. "I'm really sorry but I managed to get one late shift for tonight so I'd better get going." He said the words but didn't really look like he actually wanted to leave. "Thanks for today. I really enjoyed it." She looked at him carefully and he seemed to genuinely mean what he was saying.

"I enjoyed it too Sam."

"So I was thinking… We should hang out more often…" Again he seemed surprised at the way the words escaped his mouth, and he was quick to clarify, "To watch sci-fi I mean!"

Mercedes smiled. "Yeah that would be cool." She hit him playfully on the arm before realizing she was touching him. _Why the hell did she keep doing that? _As fast as possible she turned to pick up the glasses to hide her blush. "Hey, don't forget I said at prom that you can borrow any DVDs you like till you get your collection back. Do you want to take some with you now?"

Sam looked unsure but she assured him that if she hadn't meant it she wouldn't have offered so he took a small selection. "Not that I have time to watch much now," he said ruefully.

Mercedes followed him out the front door and really felt for him with the long night he had ahead of him. "Can I drop you off anywhere?"

He shook his head. "I have to walk off all that cheese and soda! Thanks so much for everything Cedes!" That lopsided grin was back and he held out his arms for a hug.

She closed her eyes as he gave her a squeeze. Yep. She could _definitely_ get used to this!

After watching him walk away with his hands stuffed in his pockets she sank back on the couch. But this time on the side where Sam had been sitting.

She couldn't deny it. She liked the boy. Not because he was a jock, but because as a person he was pretty cool. Obviously not in the literal sense because he was actually a total dork even if he did tend to hide it well. Sam Evans was a complete and utter comic and sci-fi freak! But that's what made him so likeable. He was cool because he was _real_. At least when he was with her he was. At school she could see that he was trying hard to impress. Sometimes a little too hard. But with her he seemed to relax and be himself. They could talk about anything, whether it was stupid or serious. And no, she didn't mind the inner geek. Not when she was one herself!

Ok so he had that floppy Bieber blond hair - nobody's perfect - but he also had those lips. _Oh those lips..._ Every time she looked at him she just wanted to bite them! Why was that?

And he had said that he liked hanging out with her!

Despite herself she allowed herself a few minutes to wonder what it would be like to spend more time with him...

But reality then struck. Guys like him hung out with girls like Quinn. It was just part of the natural order of things. She just didn't belong with that crowd. As it was, her friendship with Quinn only blossomed when she moved lower down the chain due to her pregnancy. No, Mercedes saw the kind of girls that came on to him at school. She could never compete with that. She knew her place.

She was _always_ the girl who was the friend.

But never the girlfriend.

And after what happened with Kurt she was _never_ going to talk herself into liking a guy and allow herself to get hurt again!

Mercedes sighed, put the DVD back on the shelf, straightened the cushions on the sofa and went up to her room to call Kurt and see how he was feeling.


	5. Hot Cheeks

"Welcome to the Hot Cheeks Appreciation Society my friend!"

Sam looked quizzically across to Puck who was leaning across to him from the next desk. "What do you mean?" he whispered back.

"Dude, you were _totally_ checking out Mercedes from her best angle! Your tongue's still rolled out on the floor like Jim Carey in The Mask!"

Sam narrowed his lips and breathed slowly through his nose so that he would calm down and not say anything he might regret, staring at the door as if it might give him some answers to the accusations laid down by his friend.

Mercedes had needed to excuse herself and leave the classroom and subconsciously his eyes must have followed her. If he was totally honest, his eyes stared at the back of her head a lot during their shared class now. And as for his eyes following her out of the room. Maybe it was a little less of the subconscious and a little more of the active checking out that he'd just been called out for. He flushed at the thought.

Thankfully Puck didn't notice his slight change in color because his eyes were distant. "There ain't nothing wrong with appreciating the female form. I still can't believe I let that particular piece of brown sugar get away."

Sam shot him a glare. Puck just laughed, stretched in his seat and ran his hands through his mohawk. "Seriously though, I have to admit, I never really had you down as an ass man, Evans!" Sam tried not to choke.

Puck ignored the reaction, leaned back over towards him and said in a hushed tone, "Word to the wise. When it comes to Mercedes Jones, the complement 'hot cheeks' ain't really referring to her face if you know what I mean!"

Sam felt the color rise to his own. It took all his willpower in that moment not to jump up and knock Puck off his chair for disrespecting Mercedes. The best he could do was maintain his dignified silence. But he thought it through, the more he realized that in his own crude way, Puck was actually paying her a complement. The guy just had a way with words that was different to the rest of humanity. But it didn't stop Sam from wishing that Puck would actually concentrate on the class for a little while rather than making water bombs out of paper from his notebook and making comments which were getting him get worked up.

Then he allowed himself a small smile. Admittedly he _did_ like the way Mercedes moved. He loved that she had curves and that she knew how to dress to accentuate them. And he particularly liked her in dresses. She always rocked the performance outfits. That being said, her outfit with the leather when the girls did the Living On A Prayer/Start Me Up mashup…

But he couldn't allow his thoughts to drift now that he knew Puck was paying attention. And he still could not get to grips with the idea that she and Puck were once an item, however briefly. The more he got to know Mercedes, the more unlikely it seemed. She could do way better than that! She _deserved_ way better than that! And yet despite himself, he still liked Puck. Like Brittany, he tended to have flashes of amazing insight, hidden within seemingly hours of frustrating and willful stupidity.

He cursed himself for having been caught staring at Mercedes. But in all honesty, he hadn't realized he'd been doing it, and definitely not so obviously. _How long has this been going on? Since Avatar?_ The subconscious was a very frustrating thing. But he did have great memories from that day. Sitting so close to her that he could smell her scent. Not the vanilla cinnamon scent from prom, or her day to day perfume which was fruity but impossible to place. This time she had smelled of cocoa butter. Equally sweet and delicious.

Suddenly and unannounced the door opened and she came back in to the room, shooting him a smile as went back to her seat.

He wasn't the only one who noticed her acknowledgement. Puck's eyes narrowed as he looked back at his friend. "Since when did Miss Jones start showing _you_ special favor? She normally just has her head down in class."

Sam shrugged in a way that he hoped merely looked like unconcerned indifference. "I've never noticed anything different about her." He desperately hoped that a dismissive response would cause Puck to quickly drop his line of questioning!

He was wrong. Puck wasn't going to play along and instead shot him an expression that said he remained unconvinced. "You know, you might be in luck Evans. If you played your cards right, you could probably get that!"

Sam's patience wore thin and he struggled not to show his annoyance at the reference to Mercedes as an inanimate object but Puck continued oblivious, "I'm sure she'd definitely be up for a bit of _white chocolate_. You could be her little piece of Hershey's Bliss!"

"PUCKERMAN! EVANS! Save the chat for the locker room!"

Sam was glad for the interruption from the teacher. He didn't much care for where the conversation was leading.

…

Sam felt a strong nudge as he stepped out of the classroom. "There goes Sexy Mama!" Puck indicated with his head towards Mercedes who was a couple of students ahead of them. Her ass was clad in a snug pair of red jeans and it seemed to be calling out to them.

Totally oblivious to their burning eyes, she walked on ahead of them, reading a message on her phone and smiling. Sam couldn't help wondering who the message was from. Who was making her smile and why? He hoped it wasn't one of the guys. He wasn't sure how he felt about that happening.

"So what was with you and Cedes then?" He finally asked Puck the question that had been burning him through class as they headed to practice. He knew Mercedes' side but he wanted to hear it from the man himself.

Puck shrugged. "It was just one of those things. She was a Cheerio and I needed to get popular." His expression turned thoughtful. "I guess I could have handled things a lot better at the time. I didn't realize I was on to such a good thing until it was over!" The hand went back through the Mohawk, "But I've ended up with a good friend out of it so can't really complain. Even though it only lasted a week and nothing actually happened between us, she did make me want to be a better person."

_Wow! She went out with Puck but nothing actually happened! That had to be a first!_

"She's still badass tho!" Puck hastily added, sensing that Sam was thinking through what he'd just said, "But don't tell Lauren I said that! She'll totally take me to the floor!" He paused for a moment, then shrugged and smiled "Or maybe do. Lauren taking me to the floor isn't necessarily a bad thing!"

Sam cringed at the thought then as he witnessed Puck's lewd grin, then changed his expression to a smile as Zizes suddenly came round the corner towards them. Theirs was a strange relationship. Puck hid it well but he could tell that despite the protestations, the boy had it bad for this most unexpected of bed partners!

And Sam respected him for going all out to get the girl he wanted even though it broke with convention. Puck had flipped the bird at his own reputation. And now he laughed as Lauren pointed her finger at his friend and beckoned him towards her. Puck pretended to be pulled by an invisible rope as he made his way over. When he reached her she pulled him into a headlock and he grinned at her with puppy eyes.

_Whatever works for them..._

All the way home he thought about what Puck said about him checking out Mercedes and came to the conclusion that his friend was right. Sam had always thought he had a type but maybe he was wrong. Hanging out with Mercedes had taught him that he was wrong about a lot of things when it came to girls and he wondered what it would be like to actually get it right!


	6. Fever Pitch

Sam felt dreadful. He'd been working every available hour he could, fully aware that he wouldn't be earning any money for his family while he was away at Nationals.

But the non-stop lifestyle had taken its toll and now he was sick. His manager had finally taken pity on him and sent him home early. It was a tough choice to miss out on the tips but in reality he really was struggling just to stay upright and was now prepared to sacrifice a bit of cash, just to be able to rest his aching head. His nose was stuffy, his muscles were sore and his throat felt like he'd been gargling with razor blades.

The walk back to the motel seemed to take forever and he was looking forward to having his mom take care of him. Normally he hated fuss but being ill was the one exception. He didn't think he'd ever grow out of being looked after. Especially as his mom did it so well.

Of the three sets of eyes that met his when he opened the door to the motel room, one was wholly unexpected.

He had no idea that she was coming today!

Stevie and Stacy were thrilled to see their brother earlier than expected and leapt up from watching Shrek to fling their arms around him. Mercedes smiled and stood up from where she'd been perched on the kids' bed. "I didn't expect to see you so soon. Your mum called an hour ago. She had a last second call to cover an extra shift and-". She took a hard look at his appearance and realized the reason for his early arrival.

Sam hugged the kids with as much strength as he could muster and shut the door behind him, dissolving into a fit of coughing. She was still looking at him with those soft eyes of hers. "Guys, leave your brother. He's not feeling too good." Her arms were open and Stevie and Stacy headed back over to her with anxious faces.

He hated her to see him like this and was feeling too sick to engage in much conversation. "I'm really sorry Mercedes but I just need to head to the shower and lie down."

She nodded clearly understanding and settled the kids back into the movie.

As he grabbed his pajamas he looked over at the three of them sitting close on the bed and smiled. Mercedes was so good with the kids. And the more they saw her the more they wanted her. Every morning they asked if she was coming today. They considered her their friend as much as his and she was favored by them even more than Quinn ever was. Quinn had been a little stiff, almost nervous with them and he had worried that it was because they made her think of the child that she'd had to give up herself, but Mercedes' easygoing nature had drawn them within the first few minutes of spending time with her. Plus with Quinn they only watched movies while Mercedes often planned ahead when she knew she was coming and organized more creative activities for them to do like role play, art projects and even making balloon animals.

But right now his brain was foggy. All he really wanted to do was to shower and lie down.

The hot water felt good on his aching muscles. The steam was clearing his sinuses and he felt a little less tense. If this had been his old life he would be at home, his mom would be preparing him chicken soup from scratch, making a huge dramatic fuss over him and he would indulge her by letting her tuck him in to bed. But the reality was that he was here in this motel room. Mercedes had said she'd go once he'd come out of the shower. But the movie was still near the beginning and he'd told her that the kids had been asking after her and they really wanted her to stay.

But it wasn't just Stacy and Stevie who want her to stay is it.

…

All three of them had startled at the sound of the door. They weren't expecting anyone for hours and Mercedes gripped them closely. When they saw Sam's face they were relieved. The kids hurled themselves at him like cannon balls but Mercedes quickly came to realize that he wasn't well. Hell the boy looked awful. He'd probably been sent home from work. Her heart went out to him. She knew that Sam had been working every available moment for the last couple of weeks and was it killing him. It was also killing her to see it killing him.

While he showered she made him some hot chocolate from the instant next to the kettle and remembered that she always kept a supply of Advil in her bag. As she made the drink she tried not to think about the fact that he was only meters away from her, totally naked, with hot water streaming over his toned body!

Oh boy... she'd been through this with her brain before and was adamant she wasn't going to go there with her mind. Especially not with children in the room!

The kids had got it into their heads that they were going to look after their brother. Despite her insistence that he needed his rest, they were determined that he was going to lie down in their bed. Realizing she'd been outvoted, she worked with them, propping up the pillows in preparation for their patient. The moment they finished setting up he stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of slightly faded set of navy pajamas that conflictingly made him look about twelve years old yet devastatingly sexy at the same time.

"Dr Evans and Dr Evans have prescribed bed rest and made space for you in their hospital." She shot him one of her dimpled smiles and tried hard not to look at the way the pajama top fitted so snugly against his chest and upper arms.

Sam smiled weakly. He clearly had no fight in him and headed straight over to the space that they'd created for him. The lopsided grin suddenly made a stronger appearance as he turned his attention to her. "And what does Dr Mercedes Jones prescribe?"

"Hot chocolate and Advil together with bed rest," she said softly.

She brought them over and waited for him to get settled. The kids couldn't make up their minds where they wanted to be and kept climbing over him.

"Guys!" Her voice was suddenly serious and authoritative, "I am about to hand Sam a hot drink. You have to decide where you want to be then stay still. Hot liquids can be dangerous! We've discussed this before!" She could see him grin at the sudden change in her tone. Maybe he liked it when she took control!

Within seconds they'd settled on either side of Sam and stayed very still. She handed him the drink and the pills which he swallowed straight down. She put her hand on his forehead then immediately regretted touching him as she felt a jolt of _something _when her skin touched his. Why did she keep torturing herself like this? "Er - can I get you anything? Maybe something to eat?"

Sam shook his head "Thanks but this is perfect."

_Perfect._ That's what he'd said prom night was in the text that she refused to delete from her phone.

But despite his reassurance she was still worried about him. "Nationals is in just under a week. Do you think you'll be well enough?"

Sam took another swallow of the hot drink, "Of course I will. It's the opportunity of a lifetime. I won't let New Directions down. And I always get better fast!"

They resumed watching the movie in comfortable silence for around ten minutes before Stacy suddenly lifted her head from where it was nestled on her brother's chest. "Cedes why are you all the way over there? Why don't you come over here where it's nice and cozy?"

She'd settled on the other bed as they continued to watch the movie. If felt weird getting in between the three siblings. And the smell of Sam's soap was distracting her something fierce.

Mercedes laughed. "There's no space for me there honey."

Stacy's little face looked determined. "Yes there is! You come here next to Sammy and I can cuddle you instead." It was all so logical to the little girl who enjoyed having her head on Sam's chest, but knew that Mercedes' chest was far softer.

She flushed and looked over to Sam. He looked sleepy and didn't protest. In fact, as Stacy moved he patted the empty space that she'd created next to him. Mercedes took the now empty mug from his hands and put it on the bedside table before lowering herself onto the bed next to him, carefully staying above the covers and making sure not to touch him.

This clearly wasn't good enough for Stacy and the little girl didn't look impressed. "You have to move up Mercedes! Otherwise I'll fall off the end!" There was plenty of room on the end and Mercedes suspected that the child was intentionally being mischievous but nevertheless she scooched up until she was so close to Sam that she could feel his fever radiating from him. The child then resumed her position, this time with her head on Mercedes' chest.

Despite herself she felt very comfortable. Sam's soap smell was strong because he was so fresh out of the shower. It was such a simple smell but somehow it got her right in the pit of the stomach. Minutes later, Sam was asleep and snoring gently. Stevie kept giggling and holding his nose to make him stop until Mercedes sternly told him to quit. "Your brother needs his rest," she reasoned with the young boy. But lying down was making her eyes heavy too. She felt so warm and content lying next to the firmness of Sam. Despite her good intentions she allowed herself to indulge in a daydream where they were several years in the future. Sam was lying next to her as her husband and the child snuggled up to her was their own…

She woke to the sound of a car pulling in to the parking space directly outside the motel window. She recognized it as the sound of Mrs Evans being dropped home from work. Stevie had heard the same sound and had gone from where he was coloring on the floor towards the front door.

Sam had moved in his sleep. He'd somehow turned towards her and cuddled in closer. The last thing on earth she wanted to do was move from that position. She could even feel his breath against her cheek as he slept and if felt so comfortable and safe. But she sure as hell wasn't going to get caught playing happy families! Reluctantly she moved the sleeping Stacy over on to the pillow next to Sam and managed to climb off the bed without waking either of them. By the time the door opened she was putting on her shoes.

Mrs Evans looked exhausted but relieved to be home in time to put her children herself. She thanked Mercedes again for coming at short notice then stopped short, her eyes widening when she saw her son asleep in the bed.

"He came home sick," she explained, "and he's been pretty much asleep since he got in."

Mrs Evans ran straight over to him placing her hand on his forehead to feel for a fever and kissing him gently.

"He's ok." She kept her tone reassuring, "I had a couple of Advil in my bag so he's had those and a shower and a warm drink."

Mercedes kissed the kids goodbye and let herself out quietly.

Fifteen minutes later she tapped the motel room door quietly. She saw the blinds twitch briefly before the door opened.

Before Mrs Evans could say anything Mercedes handed her a bag.

"I just brought some lemons and honey for Sam. Plus some Beechams cold and cough medicines." She saw the older woman start to speak but didn't let her. "It's all stuff we already have at home. I thought they would be useful. If I'd known Sam was sick before I came I would have brought them with me."

The hug that followed said more than words. She thought she hadn't done much, but to the Mrs Evans, Mercedes was their angel.


	7. Lor Unil (Beautiful Dream)

**_Lor Unil = 'Beautiful Dream' in Na'vi_**

* * *

_Sam was sat in traffic for 45 minutes and he wasn't happy. It had been a long day at work, and only now had he just begun to pick up some speed on his journey home. He should have already been there 15 minutes ago and had sent a text to say he was on his way. _

_'Don't stress. Will see you when you get here x' was the reply. Even through the written word she always seemed to have that soothing tone. _

_But Sam WAS stressed. He'd wanted to get home on time. It was important for him to get in on time. He needed to have a shower and be relaxed and ready for the evening ahead. It was a special night and it needed to be perfect. _

_By the time he parked up and rushed through the front door he was 30 minutes late. _

_"Daddy!" He could hear the little footsteps coming towards him with excitement. He immediately dropped his briefcase and scooped the little girl in the Disney Princess pajamas up into his arms and squeezed her until she giggled. As she clasped her little arms around the back of his neck he inhaled the smell of his freshly bathed child. "Story! Want daddy read story!" _

_He laughed. "You have to let daddy through the door first!" He tried to put her down so that he could pick up his bags but she refused to let go, clinging on to him like a dead weight, her thick curly hair brushing against his face and tickling his nose. _

_Trying to pull her off only resulted in squirming and giggles and he quickly gave up trying, enjoying the embrace of his child, the feel of her little fingers in his hair and the way that she couldn't quite keep still, making her difficult to keep a hold on to. Where she got all her energy from he did not know but he always missed her like crazy throughout the day! _

_"What a sight for sore eyes!" He could hear the smile in her voice as it drifted down from the top of the staircase. _

_As he looked up all he could see was a vision. The dress was his favourite shade of purple, off the shoulder with silver piping on the neckline, hemline and under the breasts. He'd been expecting a long dress but this one was knee length. A simple empire line with plenty of fabric which emphasized her waist yet lightly skimmed over her swelling belly. She hadn't put any shoes on yet but he knew that when she did they would be a matching color. Her hair was in simple waves, cascading down over her shoulders and the smile was the same one with the slight dimples that never failed to make his stomach go weak. _

_Within seconds he'd reached the top of the stairs and was kissing those beautiful lips, starting gently before the inevitable deepening and trail to her jaw. "Happy anniversary honey!" She murmured the words against the side of his face as they embraced. The sound of her voice always made everything better. And now it was her turn to run her fingers through his hair. Between the two women in his life he wondered why he ever bothered to comb his hair at all! _

_He bent to kiss the baby bump swathed in purple fabric and she laughed, always claiming that it tickled. "I'm so sorry I'm late," he breathed, "but may I say Mrs Evans, that if it's physically possible, you've managed to look even more beautiful than usual tonight!" _

_She laughed at the complement. "Oh it's just something I found in the back of the closet and threw on! And thanks for the flowers by the way." He looked behind her to see the twelve long stemmed red roses in a vase in the bedroom. _

_"Story! Princess story!" The little girl clutching the Sam's leg had inherited the same insistent tone as her mother. He sighed and looked at his watch. Thirty minutes left to read the story and have a quick shower before the babysitter would arrive and they could head out for their anniversary dinner in their favourite restaurant. He smiled to himself as he thought of the surprise that he had waiting for her there. _

_As he tucked his child into the bed and flicked through the books on the night stand he noticed that the one he was looking for was missing. "Mercedes!" He called to the next room "Where's the Princess and the Frog?"_

* * *

Sam opened his eyes. He was alone in the motel room. Somehow he must have been so deeply asleep that he hadn't heard any of his family's usual chaotic morning routine.

There was total silence in the room and he was glad of it because his head was still heavy. He was in the kid's bed not his own on the floor. Suddenly his memory flashed back to the night before. He remembered opening his eyes and seeing Mercedes was asleep next to him, looking serene and beautiful. And best of all it had felt like she had belonged there. To top it off she'd smelled of cocoa butter again, just like the day that they'd sat close and watched Avatar. It must have been a dream.

But then the actual dream flashed up and he was glad there was nobody in the hotel room to see him blush. He used to dream of dates with Quinn but he'd just dreamed he was married to Mercedes. With kids! What the hell did that mean?

Trying to shake himself back to full alertness, he noticed a note from his mom on the dresser:

_Hope you feel a little better today Sammy._

_I've already called school to tell them you're sick._

_There's medicine, lemons and honey for you in the fridge._

_Mercedes will pick the kids from after school club so you can stay in and just rest._

_Sorry I can't stay home to look after you today but I'll spoil you when I get back._

_Love you lots_

_Mom x x_

_P.S. There's soup in the tined food box and in the fridge there's mac'n'cheese with green beans for dinner when the kids get back_

Sam got up, drank some medicine and made himself a hot honey and lemon.

The dream still lingered in his head and it disturbed him.

Yes he liked Mercedes but was it really _that_ kind of like?

As he settled back to sleep, all he knew was that he was looking forward to seeing her again when she brought the kids back from school and he hoped that she would stay a while.

* * *

By the time he'd opened the door to Stacy, Stevie and Mercedes he was feeling a bit better. He'd had more medicine, more sleep, two tins of soup, a long hot shower and had changed from pajamas into his regular clothes.

She'd smiled shyly at him and explained that everyone in Glee had sent their best wishes for a speedy recovery. For some reason he felt decidedly less relaxed around Mercedes than usual and sensed that she wasn't her usual relaxed self either. They were already good friends so why the sudden nervousness around each other? He returned her shy smile. "Thanks for taking care of me last night." Sam cast his eyes downwards, desperately hoping that he hadn't said or done anything too embarrassing because he honestly didn't remember much between coming in through the door and waking up next to her!

"It was nothing Sam. I used to fuss over my brother when he was sick before he left home and it was nice to have the opportunity to do it again."

Sam leaned on the doorframe, still feeling a little weak. "Will you come in and stay awhile?" It amused him that as he leaned forward towards her, she appeared to lean back as if trying to maintain a safe distance between them. "I promise you won't catch any germs."

She also seemed to be avoiding his eyes and made some lame excuse about her parents wanting to make sure she had all her homework done before leaving for New York. But that excuse wasn't going to cut it with him and he somehow managed to convince her that they should do some of the homework together. After all, he'd missed class, the one that they shared, and needed the help.

Stacy cheered, grabbed her hand and pulled her into the room before she could come up with any further protestations.

While the kids watched cartoons they sat on his parent's bed and worked through math and English assignments. He was especially relieved to have help with English because he'd been struggling more than ever with that class in recent weeks. Tiredness seemed to be making his dyslexia worse. Or maybe he just wasn't trying so hard anymore. But there was a problem studying with Mercedes. Every time their fingers brushed reaching for a book or turning a page he flushed and she definitely avoided his eyes. And strangely enough for some reason their hands seemed to brush a lot! Worse still, the small brushes were producing not so small tingles.

When they finally finished he gave what he hoped was his most irresistible grin. He needed to break the tension which was strangely developing in the room. "Will you stay for dinner? We're having gourmet instant microwave mac'n'cheese yet again!"

"Sam I'm sorry but I really really should go." Mercedes looked sad but resolved. Without another word she gathered her things and went over to kiss the kids. Then she hugged him as had become their custom and again the dream flashed back into his head. He enjoyed these hugs more than he cared to admit. And even in the dream the feel of it had been so vivid.

Her smile was genuine and she looked into his eyes and absently brushed her fingers across his hair before seemingly coming to her senses and hastily looking away, shoving her hand in her pocket and clearing her throat. "I hope you feel better soon Sam... You already look better than last night."

He out on a 'brave' face and his trademark lopsided smile. "I told you I get better fast."

She grinned. "You just had man-flu. Nothing wrong with you at all!"

He laughed. "If only!"

She stepped back from him and seemed to take a deep breath like she was willing herself to do something. "I'll see myself out." And without turning her head again she was and the room felt incredibly empty.


	8. I Can Dream Can't I?

Mercedes wasn't happy. And the worst part was that there was no real reason why. It was one of those irrational bad moods that was most likely caused by getting out of bed on the wrong side in the morning. Whatever it was, the heavy feeling of anxiety and foreboding began before she'd even got dressed. Then her mom had upset her over breakfast. She couldn't even remember why but she remember wiping unshed tears of frustration from her eyes as she sat in her car before starting the ignition to drive to school. There probably hadn't been any real cause. She just knew that it was actually due to her being oversensitive and crabby rather than any actual fault of her mom's. And it annoyed her even more that she knew she was being so stupid.

On the other hand, she'd been looking forward to Glee club all day. It was the one thought that had kept her going and distracted her from her funk. She wanted to know if Sam was feeling better yet. Dammit, the truth was that she simply wanted to see Sam. Despite herself she was missing him and had been thinking about him a lot.

Since the night he'd come back to the motel room sick, her hormones had been in overdrive. She knew it was just a stupid crush and she had to put an end to it. But then he'd convinced her to stay and help him with his homework the following night and she had not been able to get out of it. Her head was in a mess. Every once in a while she had caught his eye and thought she'd seen something in them but either she didn't have the courage to hold his gaze or he would look away quickly. She had absolutely no idea what to think or feel.

Crushes were supposed to make you feel happy and excited. This one was just making her feel as miserable as sin.

She missed Kurt.

Yes he was sitting right next to her eating his lunch but since he'd been seeing Blaine things weren't quite the same. Now they often did things in a three. Even when it was just the two of them, he always had this slight smile on the corner of his mouth and the occasional faraway look. When Blaine wasn't actually there, the reality was that he was never actually very far away. If Kurt wasn't thinking about him, then he was on his iPhone sending or reading messages from him.

She wanted to tell her friend about the conflicts going on in her head and her ailing heart but she didn't dare. He'd probably bring her down with a reality check that she hadn't yet emotionally prepared herself to hear.

"Cedes are you ill?" She heard his voice rise above her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"I have never seen you leave uneaten tots on your plate." He focused on her with creased brow and an intense stare. "Spill!"

"There's nothing to sp-"

This time a single eyebrow shot up and she instantly knew that he wasn't going to let this one go. Any moment now he would lean forward with his chin in his hands and she'd really be in trouble!

Mercedes sighed. "I'm just nervous about Nationals." _Quick thinking! _

He looked unconvinced. "I know you'll be fine. We'll all be fine."

"But Kurt. We're not prepared! We leave in 3 days and we still haven't come up with an original song! I hate to agree with Jesse at this point, but all the other groups will be fine tuning their performances. We're still at the scratch that we need to start from!"

He nodded in agreement. "But we'll come up with something. Look what happened at Regionals. We totally blew them out of the water with 'Loser Like Me'!"

"True. But the timing on that was far too close for comfort. And this is so much bigger than Regionals. This is a trip of a lifetime for all of us. None of us have been to New York before, hell – half of Glee club haven't even been out of State before! I'm just worried that we're going to build it up into something and fall on our faces at the last moment. I'll never be able to live with it if we came last!" Despite herself her eyes began to fill with tears. _Hell to the no girl! You are NOT crying about losing Nationals. You're crying at the thought of building up feelings for Sam and falling on your face. You can't let something like that happen to you twice! _

Kurt decided to take charge of the situation. "OK. Here's what we're going to do." He stood up and offered his hand. "We are going to take this lunch outside like we used to, and have a proper heart to heart without the irritating sound of every McKinley student clinking their cutlery in the background!"

She forced a watery smile and allowed herself to be led out of the dining hall. From the corner of her eye she thought she saw Sam eating at a table with Finn, Puck and some of the other Football players but she didn't dare turn her head.

"Where are we going Kurt?" He'd said they were going outside but the direction they were actually heading in was for the rehearsal room.

He shot her a winning smile. "I have an idea."

Kurt's ideas were always things that were slightly left of center.

The room was empty and Kurt ran straight to the performing area, spread his arms, spinning in circles, reveling in the empty space, his neck scarf flapping from the speed. He held out an arm to her. "Come on. You have to release the inner child! If there were swings nearby we'd be on them. But there aren't so we're just going to spin like little kids until we feel sick!" She shrugged Kurt could be crazy stupid sometimes, but she missed the times when they were stupid together so she began spinning, emptying her mind of the thoughts that had been bothering her. She was no longer Mercedes. She was now Stacy, playing without a care in the world!

The giggle began deep in her belly, rising slowly until it reached her mouth and burst forth from her lips as infectious laughter.

Kurt wiggled his fingers at her as he sped past. He kept trying to 'spot' on particular point the wall but his legs were failing and the wobble had begun.

They collapsed, laughing and dizzy in the middle of the floor.

They spread their arms and legs like snow angels, heads together, staring at the ceiling.

Kurt raised himself up on one elbow. She did the same. As much as she was having fun, a girl's weave did not belong on the floor!

Kurt flicked her nose with his finger and it tickled. "Hey! Do you remember how Tina once suggested we do a Grease medley?"

She laughed. Remembering everyone's horrified responses. Especially that of Mr Schue. She hadn't actually thought it was such a bad idea.

"Well I happen to think she may have had a point!" Mercedes looked at her friend incredulously, hoping he was joking while knowing in her hearts of hearts that he was being carried along by another of his crazy ideas. He was already getting up and brushing himself down.

He smiled and ran up to the top row of seats. She eyed him suspiciously as he spread his arms wide and grinned at her.

A look of panic spread across her face. "Don't you DARE Kurt! I know exactly what you're thinking!"

But it was too late. He was already clicking his fingers and humming the introduction. Mercedes buried her head in her hands to fight the laughter. She could not believe this was about to happen. "If we get caught I'm going to kill you Kurt!" He was crazy enough as it was, and now he had the impulsive quirks of Blaine rubbing off on him too!

_I got chills, they're multiplying  
And I'm losing control_

He started gracefully working his way down the stairs.

_Coz the power, you're supplying  
IT'S ELECTRIFYING!_

Inwardly she was groaning and relieved that there was nobody else around. And yet despite herself, she found herself walking towards him, pointing her finger and the words burst forth:

_You'd better shape up, coz I need a man  
And my heart is set on you.  
You'd better shape up, you better understand  
To my heart I must be true'_

Kurt's voice raised to match hers.

_Nothing left, nothing left for me to do!_

They grinned at each other for the chorus.

_You're the one that I want, you are the one for  
Ooh ooh ooh, honey  
The one that I want, you are the one for  
Ooh ooh ohh, honey  
You're the one that I want, you are the one for  
Ooh ooh ohh,  
The one I need  
Oh yes indeed…_

They danced and sung their way around the auditorium making full use of the steps until laughter caused their voices to break. Rachel wouldn't be seen dead doing what they'd just done which made it all the more sweeter!

Mercedes threw her arms around her friend. "I've missed you Kurt. You always know how to put a smile back on my face."

"I missed you too. I'm sorry I've been so caught up with Blaine. I promise to make more time for me and you". They stayed like that for a moment, enjoying each other's company.

Then they walked out of the rehearsal room arm in arm, Kurt put on a mock thoughtful voice. 'You know, I'm actually starting to think that you and me could kill it at Nationals with our very own Grease medley."

Mercedes punched him with her free hand and laughed at his crazy imagination. Kurt Hummel was no John Travolta!

Kurt's infectious good mood stayed with her until the end of the day. Before she knew it classes were over and she was heading to Glee club.

There was a buzz in the room when she got there. Talk was of New York. Less of the music and more of the city itself. Excitement among the group was reaching fever pitch and it was starting to become a distraction from all other activities.

After a quick scan of the room she didn't see Sam so opted for her usual spot next to Kurt at the back.

Mr Schue smiled up at the class. "Right people. NATIONALS! Has anyone had any new ideas for an original song?"

Brittany shuffled in her seat. "I started to write a song about Lord Tubbington but I couldn't find enough words to rhyme so I gave up."

The room let out an audible sigh of relief.

Rachel's hand shot up but she started talking before waiting to be called. "Mr Schue. I've been thinking about what kind of music makes the most of my vocal ability and I think that we should write our own version of a show tune."

An audible groan went around the room. Puck's was the loudest and Lauren elbowed him in the ribs.

Mercedes looked at the door. Sam still hadn't arrived. She'd passed his table at lunch so she knew that he was somewhere in the school. He was just wasn't where he should be in right now in Glee club.

And for that matter neither was Quinn! A coincidence surely…

She zoned back in to hear Kurt's voice, "Rachel, we all know I can hold a show tune as well as you. I'd offer to duet it with you but I'm not sure that kind of music will go down best at Nationals."

Rachel huffed. "I just think that as I'll be doing a solo I should be right there with the creative input!"

Finn burst through the door and apologetically found his way to a seat. Mercedes hoped that Sam would follow him in but the door just swung closed and remained shut. What the hell was going on?

"OK," said Mr Schue, "Let's take a brief time out from thinking about the songs. While I've got you here I just need to go through the itinerary of what will be happening once we arrive in New York and give a few reminders about safety and behavior…"

The door opened again and a sheepish looking Quinn entered, immediately followed by Sam, head down, hands in his pockets. They took the first available seats at the front. Mercedes heart jolted. She knew something had been going on today!

"Nice of you to join us!" Santana's voice was so cold it was dripping icicles. Although she was sat behind and therefore unable to see Santana's face, she could see her whole body tense. Why the hell was Santana so riled with them. She'd arrived seconds before Mr Schue so they couldn't have all been in the same place.

Mercedes kept her eyes straight ahead, focussed soley on what was being said. Despite this she could sense Kurt's eyebrow raise, and she felt the nudge from his sharp elbow milliseconds before it actually happened.

She nodded her head in silent acknowledgement of whatever he was thinking, probably theorizing on some juicy piece of love triangle gossip, but she didn't dare turn her face as she couldn't guarantee what expression was on it.

The rest of the final Glee club went by in a blur. She didn't really hear anything properly at all. Scheuster was rambling on as usual and nobody actually got to perform anything apart from a few moves for the group dance which could easily be adapted to any song, once they finally eventually got one.

But everything happening in the room was simply background noise. Mercedes' brain was in overdrive. There was only one thing on her mind. Sam and Quinn. Arriving late. And arriving together…

_Together_…

Straight after class Mr Schue had gone to speak to Sam to ask how he was feeling and how his voice was holding up. She used the opportunity to sneak out. She wasn't sure what kind of response she'd give Sam if he tried to talk to her while she was sorting out her feelings and she really didn't want to end up making a scene.

Kurt suggested getting coffee at Lima Bean as the first of their 'spending more time together' and Mercedes agreed. The faster she could get away from the school the better. And she really needed Kurt's cheerful nature right now.

Maybe she would have a caramel coffee frappuccino instead of her usual mocha...

But home alone, while trying to pack, the melancholy returned.

As hard as she tried, she couldn't find a song that matched her mood. She wanted to sing to relieve her stress but wasn't sure what the right song was.

Then she remembered an old Mama Cass song that her mother used to sing to her when she was little.

_I can see, no matter how near you'll be  
You'll never belong to me  
But I can dream can't I?  
Can't I pretend that I'm locked in the bend of your embrace?  
For dreams are just like wine and I am drunk with mine._

_I'm aware, my heart is a sad affair  
There's much disillusion there  
But I can dream can't I?  
Can't I adore you although we are oceans apart?  
I can't make you open your heart_

_But I can dream (I can dream)  
Let me adore you although we are oceans apart.  
I can't make you open your heart  
But I can dream (I can dream)  
I can dream, Can't I_?

He voice had got progressively louder and more soulful with each line, so that by the end she was practically shouting the words. She flopped backwards onto her bed, crushing the clothes that she'd laid out to go in her suitcase and gave up fighting back the tears.

But didn't take her long to start wondering why she was wasting her tears on a guy who probably had no idea of the mental turmoil he was causing her. It was a stupid pathetic stupid schoolgirl crush. She needed to get over this. And fast! He'd clearly moved on and back to Quinn, so what was the point in even indulging in fantasies of things that would never happen? Mistaking friendliness for something more was clearly always going to be her downfall.

And more importantly, why all the stupid tears? Where had the diva inside her gone? The last time she'd been this upset about a guy she was belting 'Bust Your Windows'. This time it was Mama Cass! Something clearly needed to be fixed.

_Mercedes Jones needed to quit being soppy and get happy! _

She sat up, dried her eyes and applied some lip gloss just for the sheer hell of it. Then she fished out her favorite zebra print pants and threw them into the suitcase. She was going to make sure that she had fun in New York. There would be no time to pine.

Because, just like Stella, she needed to Get Her Groove Back!

* * *

**_Song credit: I Can Dream Can't I? by Mama Cass_**


	9. Kids Say The Funniest Things

Stacy's scream ripped through the motel room. It was the sound of pain. Sam ran out of the bathroom, hair still wet to see what had happened. The little girl ran to him, inconsolable. He showered the top of her little head with kisses while glaring up at the one person who could possibly be the culprit.

Stevie stood in the corner, arms folded, his eyes defiant and his jaw set. "I didn't hit her!"

Stacy wouldn't quit clinging to him and Stevie would not move any closer. Sam had no idea where to even begin with this one. Usually the kids got on well together. When he'd gone into the shower, they were happily working together 'helping' him to pack for New York. Something bad had clearly just gone down.

Stevie's mouth drew into a thin line just like his mom when she was about to be stubborn about something. Sam wanted to laugh at the facial expression but he knew that he had to be serious and get to the bottom of this and Stevie definitely wasn't going to be forthcoming.

He tried again with Stacy. "Stace? It's OK. You're not in trouble. What happened?" His voice was soft.

No reply.

"Seriously Stacy, look at me and talk to me."

The little girl lifted up her head and sniffed. "Tell him he _can't_."

"Can't what?"

"He says he's going to marry Cedes but I told him that he can't because she's _your_ girlfriend."

_What the-?_ How the hell was he supposed to deal with this one?

He wanted to laugh but it wasn't actually that funny. There were clearly layers to this problem that needed to be worked through. Luckily his parents weren't due home for a while yet. Sam took a deep breath, unsure which child and which accusation to handle first. Stacy still had hiccups from her sobs so he decided to go to Stevie for more information, hoping his voice wouldn't falter with the subject matter.

"That's a big decision to make little man."

Stevie scuffed one foot along the carpet but didn't move any closer. "I know, but at school Miss Allen is going to marry Mr Clarke and she says it's because he makes her happy. Mercedes makes me happy so I'm going to marry her."

Sam smiled at his brother and fought of the flashback to the dream in his head. "There's more to it than that dude! There's a few minor details that you haven't thought of such as the age gap, how you're going to support her and where you're going to live!"

Stevie shrugged nonchalantly. "I can handle it!"

Stacy sniffed and stared daggers at her brother from the safety of Sam's arms, "You can't just have Cedes all to yourself!"

"You can still come and visit!"

The little girl wasn't impressed with that answer.

Stevie looked up at his brother. "Is Stacy right? Is she your girlfriend? Coz if she is then I'll back off."

Sam chuckled "Er… no. No she's not my girlfriend." Stacy was getting heavy so he sat down on the bed with her on his lap.

"Why not?"

That was actually a damn good question!

He rubbed the back of his neck. "She's just a friend." Really Sam? _Really?_ "OK, she's a _really_ good friend."

"But she makes you happy."

Stevie moved closer. "You always smile more when you know she's coming. You don't smile at any other time except when you're playing with us."

This was starting to feel like an ambush.

"And she's really pretty."

"I like to play with her hair." Stacy had suddenly perked up while thinking of her friend, the tears long forgotten.

"And she gives good cuddles"

"She bakes us cookies and muffins."

"She's kind."

"She smells good." _Oh hell to the yes on that one!_

"She knows lots of great stories."

"And she never shouts, even when Stevie gets annoying"

"I am NOT annoying."

"Yes you ARE!"

"Hey guys!" Sam was enjoying the dialogue but could feel the tide starting to turn again between the two children. "Poor Mercedes must be sitting at home with her ears burning the way you guys are talking about her!"

"Do you kiss her?" Stacy's eyes were wide and innocent but the question was anything but. His mind flashed to certain moments… at her doorstep after prom, saying goodbye after watching Avatar, her face so close as she slept next to him when he was sick, their fingers brushing as they reached for the same book… All moments when the desire to kiss her during those moments had been overwhelming. Heat rushed to his face and there was no way that he could hide the blush. "Of course not! I told you – she's just my friend. We don't do stuff like that!"

"But you _want_ to!" What! Was this boy some sort of a mind reader?

And now they were singing now:

_Sam and Cedes Sitting in a tree  
K-I-S-S-I-N-G!  
First comes love-_

Sam could feel himself losing control and had to fight against getting angry. They were really starting to push his buttons with this subject matter.

"Stevie! I need to you apologize for upsetting your sister!" Why bring it up? They'd clearly forgotten about their disagreement already. He was just trying to change the subject!

Stevie shrugged and mumbled something. Stacy seemed unconcerned. Her mind had already moved on and asked for the millionth time, "Why can't we come to New York?"

"I told you, only the Glee club and Mr Schuester are going. When you grow up and you're in your own Glee club you'll get to go on your own trip."

"But I want to see you sing!"

"I know. But not this time. Tell you what, maybe when we get back I'll talk to Mr Schue and see if you can come visit Glee club again one afternoon and we'll sing you another song. How does that sound?"

The little girl seemed satisfied with that answer and hopped off his knee to continue making a mess of the contents of his suitcase.

"You can have Mercedes," said Stevie suddenly, "Coz I already have a girlfriend."

Sam was shocked. "You do?"

Stacy ran back over, excited. "Her name is Candy and she's taller than him!"

Clearly he was working too much for something like that to slip past him. "Hey little man, when did all this happen?"

Stevie shrugged. "She has too many freckles."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Sam really couldn't make the connection.

"The other boys tease her about them."

"Do _you_ tease her?"

"No! I would never! I think they're cute." He grinned shyly to himself and Sam could tell that he was thinking about her at that moment.

Sam smiled at his brother "I think we have to have a boy chat!"

"Oooh boy chat!" Stacy smirked and tried to get involved but Sam was having none of it. "Stevie," he said, "Bathroom. Now!"

The two boys shut the door behind them, giving themselves space away from Stacy and sat on the edge of the bath.

"So tell me about this girl Candy!"

Stevie did another of his shrugs. "She has bright red hair, blue eyes and lots and lots of freckles. She gets scary angry and loud when the others pick on her. But she always smiles at me."

Sam smiled and put his hands behind his head. "I hope you stick up for her."

"Of course! Now she comes and talks to me and says that I'm cute. I really don't mind the freckles at all. She makes me feel nice."

"Good man. You should never judge a person by their looks. There's beauty in everyone. Ugliness is in the people that bully. I never want to hear that you've been involved in picking on people. OK?"

"OK."

"But I still have a question. Why do you want to marry Mercedes if you like this girl Candy?"

"Because Mercedes is great too. I didn't want to miss my chance if I had one."

Sam laughed and rubbed the back of his neck again. "Stevie, let me give you some advice man to man. I'm sorry to have to break bad news to you but I have to let you know that it doesn't actually work that way. If you like a girl then you focus _all_ her attention on her. You don't go looking at what else is out there. Loyalty is very important. It can make or break a relationship."

"Is that why you broke up with Quinn?"

Sam wasn't prepared for that question and had to think fast. "We just weren't right for each other. That's all."

"I think Mercedes is much better for you. When she looks at you her eyes shine."

Sam felt another flush rising.

"OK Stevie. I think this boy chat is over. Let's go and see what kind of a mess your sister's made of my packing!"

* * *

…

Sam could hear the hushed tones in the bathroom. The voices were barely above a whisper but he could feel the anger and hurt in them.

It was the third time this week that his parents had been arguing when they thought that the kids were asleep. The whole situation had really been taking its toll on them and even though they were showing a united front whenever the kids were present he could see in their eyes that there were cracks in the relationship. They'd been high school sweethearts and he'd always been used to seeing them acting like love sick teenagers around the house. But now he barely saw his father and when he did he always seemed tense. Hopefully they would be able to move out of the motel soon and things would improve.

He turned, put his pillow over his head and tried to drown out the sound with other thoughts.

His thoughts kept turning back to the conversation with the kids that afternoon. Was he really behaving like Mercedes was his girlfriend? Would it really be such a bad thing if she was?

Certain things they'd said stuck in his head. He'd felt terrible describing Mercedes as 'just a friend'. That didn't do her justice at all. Brittany was just a friend. So was Tina. There was no way on earth that Mercedes belonged in the same category. She meant far more to him than that.

So why _wasn't_ she his girlfriend? There was no doubt that he found her attractive, even Puck had caught his roving eye. Every time she smiled at him his stomach did a little flip. And she clearly liked spending time with him.

Plus she understood him. She had this unnerving way of knowing what he was thinking and picked up on changes in his mood even faster than he did himself! And she was the only one who didn't make him feel like a total dork even when he knew he was being one. She was so easy simply to be with. Their description of her was spot on. She was pretty, kind, had much love for the kids and always smelled so damn sweet and good!

But why would she want to go out with him? The poor little white boy with no money to his name and nothing to offer but falling grades. He knew she wasn't the superficial kind but other than Puck he had no idea who else she had dated so he had no idea if he was even her type! Being on the football team would normally be enough for a guy to get any girl he wanted in the school but he knew that Mercedes Jones didn't work that way. She was discerning. She sent Puckerman packing for not being up to scratch and wouldn't hesitate to do that to anyone else who was unworthy of her greatness

And it's not like he could take her out and show her a good time. Every spare cent he had went to his parents. As well as requiring a steady income they also needed to build up a deposit so that when they found a property they'd have sufficient funds to make the move. She deserved to be treated like the princess and diva that she was. And he wasn't in the position to be able to do that.

She deserved better than him.

Never had he hated his life more than he did at that moment. Her family did well, her parents were known and respected in the community and they lived comfortably. He and his family were at the bottom of the food chain. The dyslexic jock with no brains, no home and no future. Hell, he couldn't even afford to get his hair cut for Nationals!

He wished that he could strum his guitar. It always helped him think and relax. Back in his home in his room he would have been able to do it even during the middle of the night because he wouldn't be disturbing anybody.

Life was getting way too complex. And he was starting to struggle to process it all. His usual outlets weren't available to him anymore.

He sighed and turned over. His parents had finally gone to bed and his dad was snoring.

In 2 hours he'd be picked up by Burt Hummel and taken with Finn and Kurt to the airport for the stupidly early flight. And Mercedes will be at the airport too.

He already knew that his brain was too active for him to have any hope of sleep before heading off.

It was because Stevie's words kept echoing in his head.

_I think Mercedes is much better for you. When she looks at you her eyes shine! _

And if he was hones he'd admit that she made his heart shine too.


	10. Take Off

Mercedes was one of the first to reach the airport. Her parents being the obsessives that they were, hadn't wanted to get her there late, which had resulted in her being there far too early. It was annoying as she would have much preferred a little more time in bed but with all the last minute mind changing when it came to the outfits she'd packed there had been very little sleep anyway.

Her parents decided to stay chatting with MrSchue who was at the check-in desk with the tickets, handing them to each student as they arrived and watching to make sure that they were properly checked in before heading through to the small departure lounge. He had decided to stay there with the tickets and only pass through once each student had collected their ticket from him and checked in correctly. As the only other place they could go after security was the lounge, he was happy to let the students pass though alone as and when they arrived.

Mercedes headed to the gate and saw Artie slumped in his chair, asleep. Mike and Tina were huddled in a corner, barely awake but still managing to be soppy. She smiled and waved over at them before finding her own seat. Much as she would like to have had a doze, she was suddenly excited and wide awake. In a moment of sheer stupidity she had accidentally thrown her iPod into her checked bag and she could clearly see the exact spot on her dresser that she had left the earphones for her phone so there wasn't going to be any music for the wait. Kurt and Finn were next in through the door, immediately followed by Sam. She'd forgotten that he was travelling to the airport with them. He caught her eye, shot her a smile, noticing the empty seat beside her and looked like he was heading towards it unluckily for her Kurt was faster.

"Cedes!" Kurt cried, in a tone far too jovial for that hour of the morning. His arms stretched out for a hug and she stood up to meet him. Sam dropped his pace, clearly disappointed and looking for another seat when Quinn appeared from nowhere, grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side. Mercedes was still looking over at him and their eyes met again for the briefest millisecond before he had to turn away.

"Might I say you look wonderful this fine morning Miss Jones. New York won't know what hit it when you step off the plane!" Kurt the drama king was on full form.

"And may I say you're looking pretty dapper yourself!" She matched his fake English accent for his reply but she spoke the truth. He literally did look dapper. Her actually looked as if he hadn't bothered to go to bed, instead choosing to use the time to pick an outfit and make sure there wasn't a hair out of place. He took the complement graciously and followed her eyes to the corner where Sam and Quinn were deep in some sort of intense conversation.

"I wonder what all that's about!" he said as she checked his nails to make sure they were clean.

Mercedes shrugged. She didn't yet trust herself to open her mouth to speak and chose instead to pretend she wasn't _that _interested in what was happening there.

But the truth was that she was devastated. She'd lost Sam. Not that she'd ever actually _had_ him at any point. But any foolish notions that she had developed in her head about him were being shot down one by one. The whole Stella groove thing wasn't coming on quite as well as she'd planned and it really irked her that this crush was one that refused to go away quickly. Something about Sam Evans had seriously got under her skin and was refusing to budge.

"So what plans do you have for the Big Apple?" Kurt had rested his chin in his hand, and his eyes were wide with anticipation. Mercedes had to focus her thoughts back on the conversation at hand before Kurt picked up on her distraction and pushed for answers.

"I hadn't really thought about it too much. Maybe some shopping. To be honest I just want to be there absorbing the amazingness of it all."

"Me too. I told myself that I'll do everything in my power to try and get the opportunity to sing on a Broadway stage. Can you imagine? It'll be like having a little foretaste of the future. A little stoke to the fire that's already in my belly."

She smiled. "I can so see you doing that. And you're the only one I know that's crazy enough to risk trying to do that sort of thing. Except maybe Rachel!"

He laughed, but also looked as if he was seriously contemplating the idea.

In that perfect moment, Rachel came through the door closely followed by Santana. Rachel scanned the room, saw Mercedes and Kurt, and positively hopped and skipped over, dropping onto the seat next to Kurt. Her excitement was palpable.

"I cannot believe that I, Rachel Berry, am about to get on a plane to New York! NEW YORK!"

It really was too early in the morning for such glee in the literal sense. But Kurt was on her wavelength and their gushing simply made her roll her eyes.

Santana's entry had been more guarded. She scanned the room, her eyes resting on Quinn and Sam fractionally more than the others before quietly finding a seat on her own at the other side. Quinn's head had snapped up on her arrival. She said a few more words to Sam, squeezed his shoulder gently then made her way over to Santana. Mercedes was fascinated. Wondering what was going on between Sam and his two exes. Quinn spoke to Santana for a moment. Initially to an unwilling ear which gradually softened and ended with a hug. Clearly a make-up of some kind. But she was damned if she knew what the hell it was all about. She looked over at Kurt to see if he had noticed, but he and Rachel were chatting so fast they were barely pausing for breath.

She looked back across to Sam. He looked pleased that the two girls had made up and she wondered if anything he had said or done had contributed to it. He then yawned widely and rubbed his eyes. Boy did he look tired. Her heart went out to him. His life had been non-stop for so long that it must have been great for him to finally get a break and spend time with kids his own age. He rubbed the back of his neck, stretched out his long legs and closed his eyes. She would have gone over to sit with him but he didn't look like he wanted to be disturbed.

* * *

"Sam? Sam? You need to wake up. We're boarding now."

He felt a hand over his and heard the voice of an angel. Mercedes was leaning over him trying to pull him from sleep. It was a struggle to open his eyes and he knew that they would be bloodshot. _Oh my god I hope I wasn't drooling in my sleep!_

He rubbed his eyes and sat up straight from his slumped position. The beautiful vision in front of him had that soft smile that he loved so much. Despite the early hour she looked fresh faced, even without makeup, and she still had that lovely sweet smell.

"Hey Sam, we were just going to leave you here," grinned Finn as he walked past, clearly finding the whole thing funny, "You looked so peaceful slumped there!"

Mercedes' eyes looked concerned. "Are you feeling ok?"

_How could she possibly not know that he always felt fine when she was around him? _"Sure. I'm good to go." He stretched as he stood and grabbed his carryon. "Do you want me to take your bag for you?" _Oh no – did that sound too geeky?_

"No thanks - it's fine."

A smile played at the corner of his lips as he became fully convince that his question had made her blush. "So what seat have you got?"

She waved her boarding pass at him. "13B."

"Oh. I have 11F." He couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice at the distance between them and he fell in step with her as they walked across the tarmac.

"So how've you been?" she eventually asked, "I haven't seen you for the last couple of days."

"It's been crazy busy. Trying to finish up at work and looking after the kids. Where did you rush off to after Glee? My Schue grabbed me to ask if I was well enough for the trip and by the time I'd turned around you were gone."

"Kurt took me out for coffee."

"That's a shame. I wanted to thank you again for all you help when I was sick. And I got a B on that English assignment you helped me with. I never would have been able to do that without you Cedes!" She really _had_ been a massive help. In recent months, with all that had been going on, his grades had been slipping and some of the teachers were starting to express concern. He really needed to pull up his average grades otherwise his graduating on time could be put in jeopardy!

Sam wanted to reach out and touch her but didn't dare. Somehow, now that he'd started to realize he had feelings for her, touching had become a taboo. There was too much of a physical reaction.

"It was no problem. Just ask me any time."

The short walk was over and they boarded the plane. He wished that he could be sitting nearer to her but it wasn't to be. He couldn't even turn round to look at her.

Although on reflection that probably wasn't a bad thing. He could feel his eyes continually being drawn to her and he hoped that nobody else noticed. Seeing her had brought back all the words his siblings had said to him. And they were right. More right than they had ever imagined. If things were different he might have considered pursuing this. But the mess his life was in meant that this was just going to remain a crush. The most unusual of crushes but a crush nonetheless. Nobody would ever believe him so he'd be able to get away with it.

But this girl got under his skin something critical. There was no way of explaining it. When was with Quinn she'd been everything he'd always thought he wanted. The kind of girl who, until a couple of years ago he would never have dreamed he would be able to get. He still couldn't believe that she'd responded when he'd tried it on. Having nothing to lose does give a guy a certain amount of confidence. The worst that could have happened was that she would have blown him off. And it's not like that hadn't already happened to him several times in life already! No, Quinn Fabray was just like a precious china doll that he'd placed on a pedestal until she broke his heart and opened his eyes to his own naivety. With hindsight he'd been able to reflect on the fact that she wasn't a bad person as per se, she was just damaged and looking for comfort in the wrong places. She had her own issues with being honest and until she took the time to confront them and search herself she would never be able to be truly happy and at peace with herself.

Santana had been, well, he blushed at the thought of what Santana had been. She was a very hot mistake that he did regret. While Quinn had worn a chastity bracelet, Santana had worn her promiscuity as her personal badge of honor. He wasn't proud of his behavior with that one but Santana wasn't a meanness and bad attitude. Their conversation in the library had really made him think. For all her faults, Santana was at least, extremely honest. She had just never heard of sugar coating her words. He hadn't seriously considered her offer of being his 'mistress' until he'd had the breakup conversation with Quinn. The fact that even to his face she couldn't be honest had hurt him so badly that he'd reacted in kind, saying that he was seeing Santana. He had just wanted to make Quinn feel the kind of pain that she'd caused him to feel. Most of the time Santana even didn't like him and his 'trouty mouth', but when she did she _really _did! Being the teenage boy that he was he hadn't complained and she hadn't minded being the rebound girl. But he wasn't a fool. He saw the way that she looked at Brittany. Even when she was with him she was never 100% there. It was more like she was trying to prove something to herself. _What was it with him and girls with baggage?_

And to think he'd ended up helping the same two girls to sort out their differences after coming across them nearly coming to blows by the lockers just before the last Glee club! If he hadn't held Quinn back and made Santana go ahead there would have been violence and he couldn't bear to see girls fight.

Then there was Mercedes. Mercedes had trumped them both, occupying a place in his dreams that he never knew even existed. How or what or when he was still unsure of, but all he knew was that she was there and seemingly determined not to be moved.

The seatbelt sign was on and the plane started to taxi on the runway. As they turned, Puck's head lolled towards him. On his other side, Finn emitted a little snore. The plane was silent. Everyone was shattered. Either dozing if they'd flown before, or staring anxiously out of the window if it was their first trip. Sam liked planes and liked flying. When he was little he used to imagine that the plane was really a space shuttle and they were launching from Cape Canaveral to explore the stars. He used to love flying out on holiday to the West coast with his family. While he was at boarding school many of the boys would travel to Europe on their breaks. He'd never been to Europe himself but had dreams of one day doing a road trip there. Maybe even on a motorbike! When Stevie and Stacy were small they would travel to some of the national parks during the holidays. His favorite was Yosemite. He wondered if Mercedes had ever been to Yosemite. _There, that name again. It always comes without even trying._

He rubbed his eyes. They were sore and grainy from the lack of sleep. It wasn't a long flight but he knew he needed to get some shut eye otherwise he would have a really bad first day in New York.

As his eyelids closed, the image behind them was of Mercedes' beautiful face as she had gently woken him from his sleep…


	11. Taking A Chance

Sam didn't know where to look. In front of him, Brittany was swaying her hips in a pair of impossibly tight white jeans, singing something that appeared to be about a _cup_ of all things! And next to him on the end of the bed was Mercedes. Just her simple presence was driving him nuts. And the fact that they were sitting on a bed together was making him have all sorts of thoughts _not_ related to the task in hand, the important thing they _still_ hadn't done which was songwriting for Nationals.

There was no way of excusing himself when all he wanted to do was hurl himself out of the nearest window. Or, at the very least, take a long cold shower. Every time Mercedes moved on the bed he would catch a fresh whiff of her scent and completely lose focus on what was happening in the room.

He didn't know how they'd ended up sitting together on the bed but he knew that this had to stop. He resolved there and then to stay out of Mercedes' way for the rest of the trip. Much as he enjoyed her friendship and companionship she was becoming too much of a distraction to him. Why should he torment himself like this? Why torment himself the idea of something he couldn't have? Because it _was_ torment. Delicious torment...

Avoiding Mercedes was far harder than Sam could possibly imagine. She kept being everywhere. And when she wasn't literally there she was still in his thoughts.

Sitting in the boy's room with his guitar trying to feel inspired, all he could think about was her.

At breakfast she'd sat right opposite him wearing a funky lime green top that showed a tempting amount of cleavage.

At their next brainstorming session where they'd finally come up with a song (Light Up The World) she'd been vocal and prolific with her lyric suggestions.

And at dinner she'd been seated directly behind him on the next table. So even though they were back to back, despite the food he could still _smell _her! And every time she laughed he wanted to know why and who it was that had made her laugh.

Even the choreography for their group dance had them next to each other as their starting positions.

Every time she passed he had to fight the urge to reach out and touch her.

And her smile - Stevie was right. It_ did_ make her eyes shine.

He sighed, folded his arms behind his head and tried to get some sleep.

Nationals was in two days. Surely he could get through this!

* * *

"_This is your shot dude. If I was in love with a girl and wasn't homeless I'd totally go for it!"_

Sam suddenly stopped chewing the potato chip that he'd just shoved into his mouth and actually thought about the nugget of wisdom that he had just imparted to Finn. It was a truth that scared him.

He _was_ in love with a girl. And if he wasn't homeless he would totally go for it.

But this was no ordinary girl. She _already knew _that he was homeless and still accepted him for what he was. The _real_ him that most at McKinley still had no idea about. She was a genius at finding things to do that cost little or no money. She was a girl who could be happy just to sit for hours being together talking nonsense and making their own entertainment. She was the girl who lights up his day and who brings a smile to his lips at the mere thought of her.

The one girl that made him feel better about himself and made him want to be a better person. Even Quinn hadn't done that.

It didn't matter to this girl that he was homeless. The only obstacle wasn't an obstacle at all!

_So what exactly was he waiting for?_

_And what the hell had possessed him to think that avoiding her would be a good idea?_

"Dude! Where are you going?" Finn was wearing his confused face again.

Without realizing, Sam had already leapt to his feet and thrown his book on the bed. Mike looked at him quizzically. He needed to think fast!

"I saw a store around the corner that sold souvenirs for a dollar. I thought I should get something for Stevie and Stacy. After all – if Finn's going to sneak out I don't see why I can't either!"

"Fair point." Mike had moved on from making paper planes to texting Tina on his phone.

"I suppose you're not interested in finishing these then-" Puck had already crossed the room onto the bed and had his hand was deep in the abandoned packet of chips. Sam's appetite had vanished and he wasn't bothered at all. Puck got comfortable on the bed and started looking for the TV remote.

As he pulled on his jacket and walked out the door Sam realized that he hadn't exactly thought this through. How exactly was he going to get to Mercedes without being obvious? She was stuck in a room with all the other girls and he couldn't exactly go in there and ask for her without raising suspicion.

Before he could think of start thinking of a legitimate excuse he heard her familiar laugh in the hallway. His heart leapt into his throat. Kurt and Mercedes were heading back to the room with a bucket of ice. They caught sight of him and he liked to think that Mercedes beamed even though they both seemed a little flustered. She was wearing a purple version of the top that he'd liked so much yesterday.

"What's all the noise I hear coming from your room?" He was careful to address the question to Kurt. If he looked directly at Mercedes his face might give too much away. It was a struggle to keep composed. The male diva laughed and replied "Oh, us girls are having a massive pillow fight. Cedes and I used the excuse of getting some ice to get away. There's so many feathers flying in there it looks like there's been a bird massacre!"

Mercedes picked a stray feather from Kurt's sleeve then turned her attention to him. "So where are you off to?"

"Just going to call the kids to say hi. I'm so used to being cooped up with them that I'm actually starting to miss them a bit." He suspected that his attempt at a casual smile probably looked more like a grimace.

She smiled and nodded in agreement before looking directly at him. His stomach instantly tied itself up in a million knots. "Well please send them my love and say hi from me too." _Damn that smile!_

"I will. I know they'll ask about you..." Then an idea came to him. "Or better still… you can come and tell them yourself!" _Keep it cool Sam, Keep it cool…_

She looked questioningly at Kurt who brushed a feather from her collar and said, "Honey, if one more feather lands in your weave I'm scared you might diva out on all of them. Things are _that_ close to getting ugly. Go get some air, chat to the mini Evans' and let me handle everything the Hummel way!" Then he turned with a flourish and was gone before she had a chance to argue.

Mercedes smiled at him shyly and he offered his arm. "Shall we?" _Arm in arm. Too much? Not too much? Ah well, too late to let go now!_

They fell into easy conversation as they left the hotel. He'd let go of her arm in the elevator. It was just the two of them in there and it had suddenly felt weird and made him self-conscious. What he would have loved to do was to put his arm around her properly. _Maybe one day..._

The sun was blazing hot outside and they both wished that they'd remembered to bring sunglasses.

"Which way shall we go?" He looked at her squinting up at him in the bright sunlight and felt an unexplained happiness just by being with her and having her to himself. He didn't really care which way they went. As long as they were together and they didn't bump into any of the other Glee club members. Or worse still, Mr Schue himself! He touched her shoulder and gently led her to the right. "There seems to be more things happening this way."

Sam suddenly felt nervous. He'd spent hours in silly conversation with Mercedes before. Why was it so hard right now? It felt just like the afternoon they'd studied together after he had been sick. He knew he'd been nervous at the time because of his vivid dream. He had no idea why _she_ should have been. They walked past a few phone booths and he ignored Mercedes' questioning looks before selecting one to make the call. He suddenly blushed as he remembered the contents of his last conversation with the kids and realized having Mercedes in on the call might not have been the smartest of plans after all! But it was the first thing that had popped out of his mouth and there was now no going back.

He was secretly relieved when the phone in the motel room wasn't answered and the coin dropped back out of the machine. Although he enjoyed the intimacy of being squished in the phone box with Mercedes he realized there wasn't real reason for them to actually stay in there. He jumped out, resosolved that this was all just too hard and he'd just have to keep his stupid mouth shut before any damage was done.

He looked around for a distraction before running across the road and shouted, "Orange, strawberry, lemon, lime or cherry?"

"Huh? Sam - don't make me jaywalk!" She hurriedly followed him across the street before suddenly seeing the sign for $1 snow cones.

"Sam I-" he shushed her and waved the five dollar note that he'd found in the back pocket of his jeans. A forgotten tip. Probably left there on purpose by his mom. "I never get to buy you anything so shut up and tell me what flavor."

"Okay. You choose. I'll have whatever you're having."

Sam decided this wasn't the occasion to fight it out and bought 2 cherry snow cones. It was a decision that was received favorably and they were soon sitting under a tree in the park laughing at each other's red tongues. Sam felt blissfully happy and knew despite his fluctuating resolutions over the last couple of days, if he didn't say something right now - _at this very moment_ he would regret it.

_I have to take a chance on this…_

"What's wrong? Did I just upset you?" Mercedes was always so quick to notice a shift in his mood in a way that Quinn never was.

He paused briefly and took a deep breath. "Set fukawkrr..."

"What?" Her frown deepened.

_Why did he always default to Na'vi when he was nervous? "_Cedes, I have to be honest with you about something."

She looked instantly worried and he felt rotten. "I know that my timing is terrible but I really owe it to you to come clean about… my heart." _The words were coming out all wrong. Why hadn't he thought to prepare a little speech in his head beforehand?_

He could see that her eyes instantly welled up and her voice wobbled. "It's Quinn isn't it?" She'd hurriedly looked down towards the half eaten snow cone on her lap, "I saw you guys talking at the airport. You've taken her back despite everything!"

A surge of emotion rushed through his chest. Of all the reactions he'd imagined, this was not one. Rather than put him off it had quite the opposite effect. She sounded like she was jealous. If there were no feelings she would be happy at the thought of him reuniting with his ex. His brain told him she had to be feeling something. _Otherwise why would she be so upset? _His voice softened. "Cedes I need you to look at me."

She didn't move.

He used his forefinger on her chin to turn her head to face him. Her eyes were tightly shut as if she was determined that she did not want to hear what he was about to say. He used his thumb to wipe the escaped tear from her cheek. "I need you to know that I will _never ever_ get back together with Quinn. She shattered my heart and I thought that it would never recover. But from out of nowhere somebody else came along, someone I didn't expect, someone I that stupidly and blindly hadn't really noticed before. And this girl fixed it. Not only did she fix my heart, she made it bigger than it was before." He could feel his own eyes stinging and welling up but he knew that he had to keep going. "She taught me a massive lesson about love and friendship and what it means to actually care about a person. She showed me the value of knowing and respecting yourself as well as others. She taught me that it's ok to be goofy. She actually recognizes it when I drop film references into speech and laughs _with_ me not _at_ me. She let me know it's ok to speak a made up language and to just want to sit and watch DVDs and eating grilled cheese hours as long as the company's good. She snuggled up and kept me warm when I was sick. Hell, she even taught me how to make balloon animals!"

Finally he'd elicited a smile. But her eyes still didn't open. Another tear escaped from the closed eye and this time, he was faster at wiping it away. Then he took her face in his hands and brought it closer, staring at the perfection of it.

"This girl taught me the difference between prettiness and beauty. A pretty girl looks good when she's made an effort but a beautiful girl is beautiful 24/7 because it radiates from inside her. Her heart is so big that it draws you in and it never lets you go. It's captured me and I never want it to let me go. Mercedes Jones… please never _ever_ let me go."

_Oh shut up and kiss her already!_

The kiss that he placed on her lips was so gentle he wondered if he'd kissed her at all!

But he had. Because he felt her respond to the gently brush of lips on lips. And because it finally made her open her eyes.

And those big chocolate eyes staring back at him were glassy and filled with love.

* * *

**_ 'Set fukawkrr' translates as 'Now or never' in Na'Vi_**


	12. The Beginning

**_Sorry for the jumping POV. This is two chapters merged into one._**

* * *

"I'm so sorry Cedes. I just had to say something. It was burning me up inside and I had to know how you felt. Please say something…"

It took all her strength the pull away from the embrace and try to regain, not only her breath, but the power of speech. "-I don't know how to kis-" She cringed at the lameness of her first words. _Girl you have no game! _Such an important moment and she was let down yet again by the breakdown in communication between what was going on in her brain and what was coming out of her mouth.

But Sam was looking directly into her eyes and seemed to see in them, the answer that he'd been looking for. He bent his head to kiss her again. A little less gentle and questioning this time and she involuntarily responded before backing away.

"What's wrong?" A frown crossed his brow.

"I've been crying like a baby. I must look a mess!"

He took her face in his hands again and kissed each eyelid. "There is nothing messy about the way you look. It'll always be perfection to me."

This time she reached up to kiss him, finally deciding to accept the compliment and enjoy the moment for what it was as they both became lost in the moment.

"How long?" They had finally settled and Sam was leaning back against the tree, her head against his chest while his arm was strewn lazily across her shoulders. The snow cones were melted and forgotten in the summer heat. She was glad to be staring out across the park rather than facing the intensity of his eyes while she asked the question.

"I don't know." She felt him shrug as he replied. "You sort of snuck up on me. I remember having the most amazing time with you at prom but figured I was just on the rebound from Quinn. There was a lot going on that night and I think it affected me more than I thought I was. I was still pretty raw at that stage. But you made me feel so relaxed and good about myself. I know we hadn't hung out before that night but afterwards I knew that it was good for me to spend time with you. And every time we did I felt it more."

He shifted and turned her to face him, "Being with you is like coming home Cedes. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it."

Mercedes swallowed as she was engulfed by a wave of emotion. The fidgeted a little to try and calm down the intensity of her feelings. Sam was feeling the same kind of way and he blushed as they brushed the grass off their clothes and started to make their way back.

"You know that was one hell of a speech Sam! I think I need you to repeat it coz I swear I was so nervous I didn't hear all of it!"

He grabbed her hand, brought it to his lips and grinned. "I'm sorry I didn't think to make a recording at the time. Besides, I was rambling as usual. I can't even remember half of what I said. All I know is that I meant _every single word_."

As they walked back to the hotel hand in hand, Sam told her about his conversation with his siblings. She laughed out loud. "Those kids are wise beyond their years!" He told her how it had made him feel and how it had led to a sleepless night. "I think they saw what we were trying hard not to see!"

"I saw it too but it scared me." Her voice was quiet.

As the hotel came into view they unspokenly let go of each other.

"Can we… you know… not tell anybody about this until we've talked it through properly? Can it just be our thing for now." Mercedes sounded nervous as she felt.

"Sure. Nationals is tomorrow and the last thing we need is more drama." She heaved a sigh of relief. She was barely processing this herself and had no idea how the rest of the club would take it. Especially Quinn.

"Oh damn!" Sam's curse interrupted her thoughts. "We need to go into that store over there. I told the guys I was going out to get something for the kids. It'll look seriously off if I show up empty handed!"

Shopping together was fun and gave them a few more moments together. Sam used the remainder of his cash to get a couple of pens and some themed candy for the kids while Mercedes picked up some items for her family.

The elevator was empty and Sam used the opportunity to steal one last kiss. "We'd better say goodnight now because knowing our luck, there'll be out in the hallway when we get there."

He was right. Puck and Lauren were doing their best to get caught making out outside the girl's room. He shoved his thumbs into his pockets, did that lopsided grin that melted her so much, bit his bottom lip and mumbled a goodbye as she walked through the door of the girls' room, hoping that Puck would be too distracted to start questioning where they'd been just the two of them together.

Those in the girl's room who hadn't snuck out were watching High School Musical. Mercedes climbed onto the bed next to Kurt and snuggled up to him. He turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "So what were those kids talking about for _two and a half hours_?"

Mercedes was confused for a moment before remembering that they'd told Kurt they were going to call Stevie and Stacy. It felt like a lifetime ago. "Oh, there was no answer at the motel. So we decided to see a bit of New York seeing as we were already out."

The eyebrow arched higher.

Mercedes shot him one of her glares. "Oh hell NO Kurt! You and Rachel sneak out for breakfast at Tiffanys but when your girl does it there's an issue?" Kurt thought it through and dropped the argument. He wasn't going to win it this time. She distracted him by showing the souvenirs she'd bought and within moments he was back to pretending that he wasn't singing along to the movie he swore he hated.

She snuggled in closer and smiled stupidly to herself.

* * *

Down the hall, Sam felt like he'd won a million dollars as he collapsed back on his bed. The only feeling that could match it would be to _literally_ have a million dollars to get his family out of that damn motel room forever.

He'd found himself alone in the room. Finn was out wooing Rachel, Puck was propping up the hallway wall with Lauren and Mike had taken Artie for an impromptu boogie in Central Park. Yet again, where Mr Schue had disappeared to was anyone's guess.

He liked the alone time. He got very little of it in the motel and was glad just to reflect on the way the afternoon had gone. He could have hugged Puck for bringing up the 'Jewish elephant in the middle of the room' and starting the conversation about Finn and Rachel which had ultimately set him on his own road to love.

He was wrong and Puck was right. New York _was_ the city of love, not Paris. At least for him anyway.

The other reason he was glad to be alone is that he didn't feel he could handle the questions of why he'd been gone for so long. Not without breaking into song like a character in some corny musical. Or at the very least a massive cheesy smile. He loved that the afternoon had been theirs and theirs alone, away from the prying eyes of others. There was too much relationship drama in Glee club and he had too many pressing issues in his own life. He knew his parents liked Mercedes as his friend because she'd been so helpful but he genuinely had no idea how they'd handle the idea of them actually being a couple. Especially his dad. And he definitely wasn't yet ready to go about finding out.

He pushed the serious thoughts to the back of his head and instead chose to dwell on the moment he'd first kissed her lips. All the times he'd imagined it, he had never pictured her crying. It was more beautiful than he had ever imagined. Her lips were softer and sweeter in reality than in his dreams. He'd dared to hope that she may have felt the same way but to see it so clearly in her eyes had taken his breath away.

He cursed each time that he had spoken about Quinn in her presence. He knew it was over but clearly Mercedes felt she could never follow someone like her. It was now is job to prove to her by words and actions that she's more to him that Quinn ever could be. Never had he regretted the whole promise ring incident so much as he did now. To lay himself on the line like that for someone was stupid and childish. Quinn's hesitant response at the time should have told him that but he'd blindly gone on with what he thought he wanted. To see the hurt on Mercedes face when she'd wrongly assumed that he was still thinking of Quinn had been more than enough to assure him that he was doing the right thing in telling her.

He thought about the moment he'd caught her eye at the airport when Quinn had pulled him aside. He hadn't been able to make out the expression in them and he could now only begin to imagine what must have been going through her head. It hadn't even occurred to him what it must have been doing to her seeing them talking so intently like that. He groaned inside when he thought about how he had arrived late to the final Glee club with Quinn. Mercedes would have had no way of knowing it was because he'd been trying to calm Quinn down and get her to come to Glee, rather than go straight home after seeing her argue with Santana. She'd been so angry he didn't doubt that she would have quit the club simply so that she wouldn't have to be in the same room as Santana again. Plus it could have potentially disqualifying them from Nationals for non-attendance. Everyone would have freaked out if she had pulled a vanishing act just before everything they'd worked towards. But without knowing that, it was no wonder Mercedes had shot off so quickly before he had the opportunity to speak to her.

But then the doubts came back. He was just a dumb jock with no money and no future. How could he show her the good time she deserved? He knew that she didn't expect him to do expensive things for her but he still wanted to show her a good time. He was her first boyfriend and the first of everything should always be special.

It was actually a relief that she hadn't wanted to tell people straight away. It had been hard enough convincing _her_ of his feelings and he knew it would be even more difficult facing others. But at least they would now be facing them together.

He started to think about what they could do for their first date when a thought occurred to him. _Had he actually asked her out? Like officially?_

He'd told her he liked her. Hell he'd given that whole spiel thanks to that mouth of his which always ran away with itself. But he didn't think he'd actually properly asked her out. Not the way the gentleman in him would have done it. That was something that needed correcting. If he was going to do this he was going to do it right.

* * *

Hours later, Mercedes was the only one awake in the girl's room and had been for some time. Nerves and excitement for Nationals had made the others drop off one by one but she was still buzzing from her afternoon with Sam. She wished he had a phone so that she could call or text him.

She wondered what he was doing at this very moment. Was he fast asleep? Or was he lying awake thinking of her just like she was thinking of him. So much had gone down today and her brain had a lot of new information to process. Sam Evans had kissed her. Sam Evans thought she was beautiful. Sam Evans had held her hand. Sam Evans… Never in a million years would she have expected a guy like him to have feelings for her. Yes she talked the talk about liking herself but she was still short and round and not in the same league as any of the other girls in school that he could have had.

But the words he had said were amazing. And she wanted to believe them with all her heart. He didn't have to say any of it. He could have just said that he liked her. But he was so specific. And when he'd told her about what Stevie and Stacy had said she'd had to laugh. There was no disguising the bluntness of those kids. They had very clear opinions and views on the way they saw the world and were not afraid to share them.

The room was so quiet she was convinced the sound of her beating heart would be clearly audible to anyone else awake in the room. Just the thought of him made her pulse race. She remembered sitting next to him on the bed when they were trying to come up with a song for nationals. All she had was a stomach ache coz it was flipping so much. She'd been so close she could see the fine hairs on his arms and for some reason they'd been driving her crazy. She had never been so physically attracted to a guy before. Yes he was good looking (_oh those abs) _but he was also a decent guy. He loved his family and worked hard for them. The situation they were in was heartbreaking but he'd never asked for sympathy. Nobody would even have found out if it hadn't been for the rumors. He stuck up for those he cared about, even getting a black eye taking on Karofsky. Ok so maybe he'd kissed most of the girls in Glee club _how could she have forgotten him and Brittany at Rachel's party after a couple of drinks _but somehow she knew none of that was serious. Hell, Glee club was already a pretty incestuous bunch. The only one he had been serious about was Quinn and it was clear that he was broken afterwards. That had to be the only reason he'd allowed Santana to be over him like a rash after that.

_And I bet Santana never got the kind of speech I did today! _And how could she not tell that calling him Trouty Mouth hurt him so much?

_Sam Evans thinks I'm beautiful. _Nobody outside of her family and Kurt had ever told her that and although she didn't quite believe it, hearing him say it so sincerely meant the world to her. Her perception of her body image was never necessarily going to be a match for the rest of the worlds.

The initial glow of feeling loved started to give way to reality. They would have to tell people. But hopefully not just yet. Why couldn't they just keep this to themselves for a while? Away from the gossiping prying eyes of the Glee club. Away from the eyes of the ignorant people in a small town who were sure to have an opinion on whether interracial couples were a good idea. Let alone a relationship between the textbook handsome jock and the fat black singer who should have been content to just stay in her lane. Yes, a little world just of their own is exactly what they needed.

For just a little while longer at least.

She thought about her parents. She couldn't see why they wouldn't accept Sam. They were the most open and honest individuals. When she had confided her crush on Kurt to her mom, there'd been no issue about his race. And her brother Jamal had dated a Latina girl for nearly the whole of his senior year. But keeping this from them would be hard. She knew she would not be able to do it for long. She loved and respected her parents and knew that for any relationship she was in to work, they needed to be on side.

She sighed and turned over trying to get comfortable. She regretted being too lazy to wrap her hair and strands were coming from her ponytail. It was going to be a nightmare to comb out in the morning.

She looked at her watch and squinted into the darkness until her eyes adjusted to the dark and revealed the faint outline of the time.

_Not tomorrow. TODAY! Nationals are in a matter of hours!_

She shut her eyes and willed herself to sleep, dreaming of the park and the feel of Sam's kiss…

* * *

_**Special thanks to my anon review Emma as I can't PM you. This is just the first part of my Samcedes story so I hope you stick with it because the trilogy is already complete with Samcedes as endgame but it does follow cannon for as long as I kept up with the show (early season 3). After that it's just my own fiction!**_


	13. Nationals

The girl with the red hair wearing a hi-tech looking headset stuck her head around the door and announced, "5 minutes 'til you're on! Good luck guys!" Then as quickly as she had appeared she was gone.

A hush descended over the room as everyone's nerves went from full to overdrive.

Sam looked across the room to where Mercedes was sitting. Tina was clutching her hand tightly and looking an unhealthy shade of pale while her friend whispered reassuring words and Mike rubbed her back.

Sam thought that she looked more beautiful than ever in her little black dress. It took all his energy not to just sit staring open mouthed at her. The way she took care of her friend was amazing. _She_ was amazing.

Since they'd got up that morning they'd had no time alone whatsoever. Other than shy shared smiles and the occasional brushed fingertips or light touches on the back or shoulder as they maneuvered past each other in the small room, there'd been no real interaction at all. Much as he wanted some alone time with her, he knew that they had to get through this performance first.

Rachel was the first to finally leap up, wiping her hands nervously on the front of her dress before taking a long deep breath, rolling back her shoulders, straightening her spine, holding her head high and heading for the door.

"This is it guys!" she said, in a voice that sounded way more confident than her appearance gave the impression of.

The others silently followed her in single file as they headed towards the curtain.

Sam filed in behind Mercedes. It wouldn't look unusual as he was next to her in the starting lineup for the group number. He tried hard not to follow the swish of her dress and the movement of her hips swayed and moved while she walked. The last thing he needed was Puck calling him out on it again at a time like this.

At they reached the stage they split into two groups, one at either side of the stage depending on where they would be making their entrance. Without turning his head as he passed her he grabbed her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. He felt her fingers mirror his and her thumb brush the back of his hand before releasing him. The whole thing had probably taken less than two seconds and they hadn't made eye contact during that time but the simple touch spoke volumes and Sam hoped his blush would pass without observation by any of the others.

* * *

_What the hell was going on?_

Finn and Rachel had finished their duet but instead of applause there was deathly silence for what felt like forever. The whole group were in their starting positions, backs turned to the audience, waiting for the music to start. But nothing happened. It was like everyone had suddenly left the auditorium without telling them. He desperately wanted to turn his head, first to shoot a reassuring smile to Mercedes next to him, then to see what was happening behind them. _Stay professional and keep still! _

Easier said than done!

After what felt like an age he finally heard a solitary round of applause which was suddenly joined by the rest of the audience. He finally released the breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Then music began and the crowd went mad. All nerves from the group rapidly disappeared as adrenaline coursed through their veins. Instantly they got into the song and pranced up and down the stage, wishing that they'd spent more time on tighter choreography. Aside from Brittany and Mike they had to admit that their routine was pretty lame when compared to some of the performances had gone before them.

_'Light, light, light it up  
Light it up tonight!'_

The end was a massive head rush. As the music ended and they took their final positions together in the middle of the stage with their heads bowed, a massive cheer went up. The group started to hug each other. Sam knew that he only wanted to hug one person. To hell with the fact that she'd ended up as far away from him as physically possible. She was the only one that she wanted to share this moment with. Without even realizing it he had passed through the group and swept her into his arms, his face buried into the side of her neck.

"We did it Cedes!" he whispered in her ear while wondering how long he could keep the hug going before the others started to get suspicious. She was squeezing him back equally as tight. All sound and vision disappeared for that moment. They were no longer on stage in front of a thousand people. They were alone, locked in a world of their own where nobody could touch them or hurt them.

Reluctantly he released her from the embrace as he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to hug Mike instead. Much as he liked Mike and thought he was a cool guy, he hated him for interrupting the moment although he realized it was actually a good thing as it preserved their secret.

The group walked forward together as soon as they heard that the list of the final 10 had been put out on display. As they huddled around the small notice board he didn't care that he was standing next to Mercedes. Everybody else was too anxious to notice and there was no one else he wanted to be with at a moment like this.

Mr Schue seemed to take forever reading the list. The news wasn't good.

"We aren't in the top ten!"

Sam could feel the disappointment hit the group like an atom bomb. There were tears streaming down Mercedes face. He felt helpless and he wanted to reach out and touch her. _Not yet. Not here…_

But things didn't get any better. Sam had always thought he was pretty strong but when Santana had started going all 'Lima Heights Adjacent' on Rachel back in the hotel room it had taken not just him but also Mike and Quinn to hold her back. Damn that girl was strong when she got mad! He suspected there was also some of the rage which had been previously aimed against Quinn included in the outburst so Rachel's timing was doubly unlucky. Although he didn't know much Spanish the tone made it pretty obvious the kind of thing that was going down. And _Cosas Malas _seemed pretty self-explanatory. He actually had some respect for Rachel for standing and taking it, even if it was from a safe distance. But it was getting really hard trying to hold her back while his hair was falling into his eyes so he was glad when Mr Schue finally took Rachel out of the room and Brittany took it upon herself to calm Santana down.

The boys were equally unimpressed with Finn but luckily for once it didn't come to blows. Yes they were supportive of him getting things back together with Rachel but his timing sucked big time and forgiveness wouldn't come quickly considering that ultimately he had managed to upset _all_ of their girlfriends in one swoop. Of all the things that Finn Hudson was, clever was not the highest on the list.

To ease the tension Mr Schue had reluctantly allowed them a couple of hours out in New York as long as they stayed together and kept to the 7pm curfew for dinner due to their morning flight home the next day. He stayed back at the hotel with Rachel and Finn. Kurt decided he was emotionally exhausted and opted to watch a movie with Artie who was starting to come down with a cold.

Within moments of leaving the hotel, the rest had separated off into smaller groups. Puck took Lauren, undoubtedly to make out against a wall somewhere. Britanny, Santana and Quinn went to buy accessories for Quinn's new shorter hair as part of their peace making exercise and Sam and Mercedes went with Mike and Tina.

Before long the two of them started to feel like spare parts to the other couple.

"Dude!" Sam whispered into his friends ears, "I need to make a call to my family. I know Cedes would like to say hi to the kids so I'll take her off your hands for a bit so that you guys can have some quality time…" He winked at his friend who smiled back at him gratefully.

_If only he knew. _Sam couldn't help but grin. _Mike thinks I'm the one doing him a favor but he couldn't be more wrong!_

"Hey Mercedes. I'm just going over there to call the motel. Do you want to come with and say hi to Stacey? She's been asking after you." _Same excuse two days in a row but it's not like Kurt was going to find out about it._

"Sure." She smiled shyly but Mike and Tina had already shot off away from them. There was no need to pretend anymore. As soon as the other couple were out of sight he grabbed her hand and bent in for a soft kiss on her lips. _Why the hell was he feeling so shy all of a sudden? Yesterday should have been the day for shyness, not today._

Mercedes put her arm behind his neck and returned the kiss. "I've been waiting to do that all day," she murmured.

"Me too. I hope it was worth the wait."

"Totally."

They walked hand in hand. Not knowing or caring where they were going, just happy to be alone together at last after a day of so much energy and tension.

Mercedes' voice was quiet but emotional. "I really thought our performance was good enough to get us through. I'm still _so mad_ at Rachel for that kiss." He could feel her frustration and saw her eyes well up. Glee club meant a lot to her and so did the competition. He knew there was nothing he could say to comfort her at this point because it was still so raw so he just held her close, feeling himself getting drunk on her scent.

"Are you mad at me for kissing you yesterday?"

She playfully slapped his arm. "Hell no!"

"I'm glad. I'd never want to make you mad"

She smiled up at him. "Why? Are you worried I might go all Lima Heights Adjacent on you?"

He threw back his head and laughed. "Possibly. I have a confession to make."

Mercedes' eyebrow arched. "Oh yeah?"

He grinned. "Yeah! Did you know I really wanted to kiss you on prom night?"

"No waaay!"

"Yes way! When we were walking to your front door. But I was scared you would diva out on me and kick my ass as far away as Azeroth so I styled it out with your hand instead!"

She joined in with his laugh and drew her arm around his waist as he wrapped his around her shoulders. "I probably would have been more freaked out than anything else. My dad was right behind the front door so he would have been the one to do the ass kicking!" her grin broadened, "I have a confession too!"

"Okay..."

"I still have the flower you gave me that night."

He was shocked but happy.

"I pressed it the next morning and I keep it in the back of my diary so that I can see it every day!"

They found a small children's play area and decided to sit on the swings. There were a couple of children playing on the roundabout and slide with their parents. The children waved and they waved back.

"They're so accepting. Little children I mean." Mercedes had a contented faraway look in her eyes.

"I know. Sometimes I wish I had Stacey's outlook on life. Everything's so much simpler. It's adults that overcomplicate things."

"But who would have thought it! Mercedes Jones and Sam Evans. I always thought that if you didn't end up back with Quinn you would at least be with one of those gorgeous skinny Cheerios who are constantly throwing themselves at you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think I'm that shallow?"

"No. Not anymore. I guess I didn't really know you at the beginning. But I'm not stupid. I know how other people see things and see me. I know some there are some guys who are into me but most would look at me and think what's _he_ doing with _her!"_

"Then they're wrong. They should be thinking 'how did _he_ get so lucky to end up with her'!"

She laughed. "If only. But we're such opposites. People are sure to wonder about it."

He reached out for her hand and fixed his green eyes on her intently. "I'm not so sure we are opposites. Aside from the obvious of you being black and me being white which I couldn't care less about, we have so much in common. Though you try to hide it you're also a movie geek. You can hold your own against the boys in any computer game I've seen you play. We're both musical and we both fight for what we believe in. Plus you know how to read me. Sometimes you just don't know how well things go together until you try them."

She grinned. "Like peanut butter and jelly?"

His grin was bigger. "Yeah... but I was thinking more like fish fingers and custard!"

She frowned and he looked at him as if he'd suddenly sprouted two heads.

"If it's good enough for a Timelord then it's more than good enough for me."

She was still shaking her head and laughing with no idea of what he was going on about. What the hell was a Timelord was and why would it like such a disgusting sounding combination?

"Bigger on the inside?" He deepened into a robot voice "Ex-ter-min-ate!" She shrugged, not recognizing any of the impressions he was throwing at her.

"I see I'm going to have to educate you in the world of the wonderful Doctor and his TARDIS. What a _terrible_ excuse to have to spend more time with you when we get back!" He looked at his watch and hopped off the swing. "Speaking of getting back we should head back to the hotel before we get caught out via search party!" He offered his hand and she took it to get up before he put his arm protectively around her shoulders while they walked slowly back to the hotel.

"Sam Evans, have I ever told you that you're totally nuts?"

He shot her one of his lopsided grins. "The best thing about you is that deep down you love it!"

"So which one am I? Fish fingers or custard?"

Sam laughed. "No idea. I hadn't thought the statement through that far yet! I am a dork after all!"

"I guess it really doesn't matter."

"That's exactly my point. Some might think it's a weird combo but it makes the Doctor happy. Some might think we're a weird combo but we're happy. Whatever happens with us, nothing anyone else says or thinks matters. The only thing that matters is that you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I may have a mouth that runs away with itself and I may talk rubbish, but you make me make sense."

He stopped walking at that point to look into her eyes. And at that point he knew.

_Sam Evans was falling hard…_


	14. While We Were Gone

Sam was seated as far away from Mercedes on the flight back to Ohio as he had been on the way out. But this time his thoughts were not of a girl he really liked but couldn't have, but of a girl who he really liked who liked him back and who had made this trip the most awesome one ever!

He smiled contentedly in his seat, staring out of the window, knowing he wouldn't be sleeping on this particular flight. He thought about Stevie and Stacy. _They would have no idea how much their words touched his heart and made him see sense. _He was so looking forward to see them. Yes they were kids and they spent more time getting on his nerves than anything else but he'd missed having them around for the last few days. Living together in such a confined space together, meant he couldn't help but miss their presence when it was no longer around. Obviously he wasn't going to tell them what had happened with Mercedes but some day in the future he would explain how he was eternally grateful to them. But he wasn't going to tell anyone just yet. This was theirs and theirs alone for now.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Kurt from the seat next to him.

Sam snapped back into the present. "I was just thinking about how amazing New York was." _Damn! Kurt is always keeping me on my toes!_

Kurt joined him in the smile. "I know. I had some amazing experiences there that I'll never forget."

"So did I..."

Kurt looked hard at his friend and Sam felt the need to clarify. "It was great just getting out to see the city that has inspired so many. And even though we didn't place it was a total rush performing in front of so many people like that."

Luckily Kurt seemed to understand what he said and nodded. "I can't wait to come back to Broadway and do it properly. I still can't believe Rachel and I got to sing on a Broadway stage. It's something we'll get to tell the grandchildren. The adventures we had before we got famous!"

Sam smiled at his friend as he was overtaken by the glazed look of someone fantasizing about the future. "I know you're going to make it," he said, and genuinely meant it.

At the airport there were a collection of parents waiting to meet them. Sam was surprised to see his mom sitting talking to Mrs Jones of all people!

"Sammy!" Stevie and Stacy cried his name in unison as they saw him walk through the arrivals door and he rushed over to them, leaving his bag to scoop them both up and plant kisses on his younger siblings.

"We missed you so much!" Stacy looked as if she was about to cry with happiness, "We made you this at school."

It was a welcome back card, covered in glitter which was rapidly covering him. He knew that he was now going to be finding pieces of glitter on his body for days but it was worth it. The picture on the front was of a giant apple and inside, written with metalic pen were the words 'We love you Sam. We miss you x x' Sam felt his eyes begin to prick. "Thanks guys, it's wonderful!"

His mom joined in the hug. She looked pleased to see him but tired. Very tired. As he embraced her he watched Mercedes hug her own mother and they turned and headed towards the exit and his girl turned to shoot him one final smile before they disappeared from view.

His own mom hugged him so tightly that he thought she was going to start crying. But she didn't. She took a deep breath, cupped his face in her hands, kissed his cheek and shot him such a genuine smile of happiness that he hugged her again. "I missed you baby," she sighed, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too mom."

As he pulled his bag towards the exit he asked, "Where's dad?"

He noticed her shoulders visibly stiffen. "Dad's in the car."

Sam knew not to push it. The hushed arguments had obviously continued while he was away. He had no idea what was going on with them but it was definitely worry him.

The first thing he noticed as they approached the car was that his father was in the passenger seat rather than the driving seat eliminating hid first assumption for why he hadn't come in with the others to meet him.

"You're driving?" He looked over to his mother who simply shrugged and made an indecipherable sound from the back of her throat.

The second thing he noticed was the smell of alcohol as he opened the back door of the car. His father had his head back and was snoring loudly.

"Hey dad!"

"I wouldn't bother. He can't hear you." Sam could clearly hear the bitterness in her voice. But she rapidly put a smile on her face and asked, "So are you going to tell us anything about New York or are we going to have to drag it out of you?"

Sam smiled as he made sure Stacy was buckled in properly at the back. "New York was fantastic. Everything about it was amazing."

"Did you see the statue of liberty?"

"Did you go to Central Park?"

"Did you ride the subway?"

Sam laughed at his siblings. "Yes and yes and yes! And if you're really good, when we get back I'll show you the presents I got you!"

"Oooh! Presents! Yayy!" He looked up and caught the smiling eyes of his mother in the rearview mirror. The five dollars in his jeans must have been a mistake because he had found the twenty and the letter from his mom wishing him luck as he'd pulled out the black shirt he'd worn for the National's performance.

When they reached the motel Sam reached over to wake his father.

"I wouldn't bother." His mom's bitter tone had returned, "He can come in when he wakes up."

Sam didn't know what to say. "I take it he's not got any work today?"

His mother said nothing as she opened the door to the motel room and ushered the kids inside.

* * *

Mercedes was sat at her kitchen counter trying hard to avoid the gaze of her mom buy focusing hard on the glass of root beer in her hand.

"I have say, you're handling coming 12th far better than I expected!" _Really must stop smiling so much..._

"Believe me mom. I cried like a baby for hours after I found out. We all did. Apart from Santana!" She then launched into the whole story of how she'd gone Lima Heights Adjacent on Rachel and how that had taken the wind out of everyone else's sails.

Mrs Jones smiled. "Well I'm glad it was Santana that did it and not you. I worry that with you it wouldn't have just been verbal!"

Mercedes laughed. "It was only verbal because she was being held back by two guys and a girl! Santana's been known to take on Lauren who's bigger and taller than me _and _in the girl's wrestling team!" She fingered her glass. "But we were bummed not to make it through. And to think it was all over a stupid kiss between Finn and Rachel. You have no idea how hard it was for us having to listen to that deafening silence after their song ended wondering what on earth was going on. But we had to keep our backs turned to the audience until the music started so it was down to Jesse St Creep to break the news of what had actually happened." She could feel her voice rising and her calmness receding as she related the experience. Taking another sip of the drink calmed her and she continued to speak about different things they had done on the trip while carefully avoiding any mention of Sam.

But her luck didn't to last for long.

"How was Sam? You know, the Evans kid."

Mercedes could have sworn someone had just sucked all of the air out of the room. If there had been drink in her mouth it would have been sprayed all across the room. She looked at her mother, confused. What the hell did _she _know about Sam? "Fine I guess."

Luckily her mom didn't seem to notice. "That's good. While you were away I met his mom, Mary, and we really hit it off. They'll be coming to our church on Sunday then they're coming back for lunch afterwards."

Mercedes didn't trust herself to speak just yet. It was a lot to suddenly take in.

"You know she speaks really highly of you Mercy. And she says the kids love you. Apparently you've been babysitting more than you let on to us!"

Her mom had to have been able to tell she was blushing and she really hoped that she'd put it down to the complement that she'd just been given. "Well, it's the Christian thing to do. I don't have money of my own to give them but I do have time so I just help in my own way."

Her mom pulled her in a huge hug. "Mercy, I'm so proud that we've been able to bring you up right and that you can make great decisions all by yourself."

Just like with prom, it felt like an age before she was finally able to escape and be alone in her room. Laying her bag on her bed she sat down and sighed. While they were in New York her mom had made friends with Sam's mom? How the hell did _that_ happen? And he was coming to their house on Sunday! If Sam had a phone she would have been straight on it to him. But now she had the agonizing task of waiting until she saw him tomorrow at school.

She unzipped her bag and started to unpack.

As she went through her carryon she spotted a small brown paper package that was unfamiliar. It wasn't wrapped in special paper. It was just the kind of paper bag that you get when you buy something in a gift shop but taped down to make a very small parcel. Confused she sat back on the bed and opened it slowly. Inside was a small keychain. Nothing else.

But the keychain was in the shape of a snow cone. And the fake ice was painted red.

Mercedes stared at it for the longest time, basking in the memories that it brought back.

Then, clutching it carefully in her hand she walked calmly over to her door and made sure that it was shut before leaping onto her bed, burying her face deep into her pillows and letting out a massive squeal, excitedly kicking her legs against the bed like the typical crazy teenage girl that she was!

**_…_**

Mercedes waited an agonizing two days before finally working up the courage to ask the question that had been burning her since they got back.

Her mother had been looking in the fridge and was putting together a shopping list for the weekend.

She tried to make her voice sound as casual as possible. "So how come Sam's family are coming to church and dinner on Sunday? I saw you talking to his mom at the airport but I didn't realize you already knew each other!"

Her mom's head didn't even turn. "Actually, she'd called the home phone looking for you and I answered it."

"Oh. Okay..."

"She'd had a mini mind melt forgetting that you were away on the same trip as Sam and wanted to ask if you to babysit for a bit. Apparently the kids ask for you a _lot_! Anyway, she told me how brilliant you've been with them and how I should be really proud of you. Obviously I'm going to listen when somebody says wonderful things about my amazing daughter!"

Mercedes smiled and shook her head. She was getting the feeling that this was going to turn out to be embarrassing so she stayed silent and waited for her mom to continue.

"The strange thing was, after you told me about their situation I'd been thinking about what I could do for them. Obviously they wouldn't accept if we offered money but I got to thinking that they never get to do anything nice. My gym's only a couple of minutes from their motel and this month I've been given a bunch of promotional gift passes and massage vouchers. As a woman who loves her 'me time' I can't imagine what it must be like for Mary. No space and no time to relax and clear your head. I'd been waiting for you to come back to take them over for her. As it was, she was reluctant to accept at first but I could tell she was struggling to resist the offer of a free massage. Who wouldn't? Anyway, to cut a long story short, she was nervous to walk in the gym alone and pick up the vouchers herself so I offered to meet her there on my afternoon off so that I could introduce her and show her round. I'm always there on my free afternoon anyway."

"I bet she would love to have a massage or a jacuzzi. She always looks so tired and stressed." Mercedes was thrilled that her mother had come up with such a thoughtful idea which still left the woman with her dignity.

"She's such an amazing woman Mercy. Did you know she actually started going to law school but had to quit after a few months because she fell pregnant with Sam?"

Mercedes' eyes widened. She had no idea!

"Anyway, we had a really long chat. The poor woman's going through so much with-" her mother clearly caught herself, not wanting to reveal too much, "Anyway, we hit it off and somehow she tells me you invited Sam to church and the rest followed on from there!"

She would never have worked any of that out on her own. She wondered how much of this story Sam knew from his mom.

"How about you make your cherry pie on Sunday?"

Mercedes nodded. She knew how much the Evans' loved her baking. "Sure mom."

She turned to head back up to her room. She didn't want to make this into too long a conversation and needed to go back upstairs to process it.

"Oh and Mercy!"

"Yes mom?"

"Don't think I didn't notice all those lemons disappear last week..."

* * *

**_This was written before Sam's parents were given names on the show, but as they are going to feature a little in this fic I decided to change them over to the cannon names to prevent confusion._**


	15. The Lima Bean

**_The final chapter at last!_**

* * *

Sam was woken by a kiss from his mom.

"Hey mom," he muttered sleepily.

"Hey Sam, it's time to get up for school."

He looked at her with sleepy eyes. She looked as if she'd been crying and he pulled her into a hug. "Where's dad?" He could faintly smell coffee. His mom didn't drink it so he knew his dad had been around at some point.

She looked over to the bed where the two smaller children were still sleeping. The expression on her face said this conversation was not about to happen right now. Pretending not to have heard the question she went over to wake them. Sam pulled himself up, folded his bed and headed for the bathroom, knowing that now wasn't the time to push the subject, but resolved to catch his mom alone and find out what exactly had been going on while he was away in New York.

He moved on to happier thoughts. Sam had never looked forward to school as much as he did today. Today he would get to see Mercedes. He wondered if she liked the little gift he'd slipped into her bag while she wasn't looking at the airport. He knew it wasn't much but it meant loads. And the memories associated with it were priceless. That sunny afternoon in New York. His words. Her reaction. Being together. He thought of the identical keychain that he had. _One day it'll be attached to a set of house keys rather than the keycard to this motel room! _

_I gotta feeling –_ he thought to himself as he stepped into the hot water streaming out of the shower – _that today's gonna be a good day…_

He saw her almost immediately, standing by her locker looking thoughtful. She was wearing those zebra print pants. Not his favorite pattern but she still rocked them. She could rock anything. _To hell with it all_ he thought as he headed towards her with a smile. But before he could reach her and break their secret by throwing caution to the wind and going for a kiss, Tina came bounding up and pulled her into a massive excited hug. They'd pulled apart by the time he reached them.

He grinned at them. "Hey guys," he said, in what he hoped sounded like a casual breezy manner.

"Hey Sam!" Tina smiled brightly up at him. Mercedes said nothing. She appeared to have stopped breathing. Probably something to do with the way that he'd brushed his thumb along the base of her spine just as he'd drawn level with her. If she was feeling the kind of tingles he was feeling then yeah, it was pretty hard to speak.

But he didn't break his stride. "I've got practice now. See y'all in Glee later." The grin was wider and he kept walking on. _You are so cruel! _As he turned the corner he broke out into a laugh. It amazed him that such a small touch had the power to make Mercedes go all crazy! But he loved it too. Glad that it was his touch that had that effect and nobody else's. If anyone else tried he would have to take them out!

Just for those brief moments he'd forgotten about his broken family life and the problems that were there. Those brief moments he had used to inhale the fragrance of Mercedes' scent. That was going to have to be enough to keep him going through the day and somehow it did. She was nowhere to be seen at lunchtime and at Glee she was back at the back sitting with Kurt on one side of her and Brittany on the other.

The great thing about having the long bangs was that he could look at Mercedes from under it. At least that's what he hoped. But he took a seat near the front near Finn. Nobody else particularly wanted to be around him yet apart from Rachel.

Sam couldn't believe that they were at the final Glee club of the semester. By the end of the week, school would be over for the summer. He was going to have to think of some creative ways to spend time with the girl of his dreams.

Mr Schue came in with a trophy in his hand and a big smile on his face.

"You guys wanna see what 12th place looks like?"

A massive cheer went up in the room.

And the day got better. He and Mercedes hadn't spoken a single word to each other during Glee club but as he walked away from the school a familiar car pulled alongside him.

Without a word he opened the door and climbed in. He'd barely closed the door behind him before he was pulled into a long searing kiss. After a few moments she drew back, looking embarrassed at what she'd done and settled back, touching her hair and making sure it was still in place.

Her eyes went down to her hands. Suddenly shy. "Thanks for the keychain," her voice was barely a breathless whisper, "I'll always treasure it."

Sam was feeling pretty breathless from the kiss himself. All he could manage was a stupid grin. But he was woken from his stupor by a solid whack on the arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"You _know _what that was for! Touching a girl up in the hallways where everybody could see!"

He laughed. "I couldn't help it. I just wanted to make sure you still liked me."

"I nearly choked on my gum!"

She shot him a smile that proved she wasn't really mad at him then restarted the engine.

"So – where to? Are you working tonight?"

His grin grew again. "I'm not back at work until tomorrow. And the kids have after school club today so I guess I'm all yours for the next couple of hours!"

She seemed to relish the thought. "Wanna grab a coffee?"

"Sure. Why not."

Mercedes couldn't help but notice Sam getting quieter as they approached the Lima bean. It reminded her of the last time they came here together when he had confessed to having body issues. Something was on his mind and she was damned if she knew what it was.

After pulling into a parking space she switched off the engine but didn't undo her seatbelt. She took a deep breath.

"You do realize that you can tell me anything. Right?"

He looked sheepish. "I know... I guess I'm just still adjusting. There's so many things going on at the moment I don't know where to start."

He fidgeted nervously with his fingers. He wanted to tell her that he was worried that there was something seriously up with his parents. But what could he say? He didn't even know what it was that was going on with them himself yet!

He knew she was simply going to stay silent until he started talking so he decided to go with the other thing that was bugging him. "It just feels wrong that we go out for coffee and you have to pay. I'm an old fashioned kind of guy and to me that's not how things should work. I guess it hurts my pride."

Mercedes undid her seatbelt and slowly turned in the seat to face him. He could see the diva starting to surface in her and he started to feel a little nervous.

"Samuel Evans, we are going to have this conversation one time, and one time only." _Why couldn't he help feeling that this was going to be a one-sided conversation?_ He watched her as she took a deep breath, bit her bottom lip and thought carefully about her words as they began to flow out. "I like you Sam. A lot. And I like you for _you_. I like spending time with you. I like simply _being around_ you. That can be in any place at any time. At the moment you're working yourself to the bone to provide for your family. I accept that and I have no intention of taking _any_ of that money away from you. If that means me spending out on coffee or meals, or treats then so be it. So far, all my allowance is spent simply on clothing. It'll be good to put it to some other use. I know that you're not going to be in that motel forever. I know that one day soon your family will get back on its feet. So, just like with prom, consider this a loan. And I _fully intend _to call it in. When your money's your own again, I _will_ expect you to take me to the movies, out for meals, coffee and other wonderful things. And yes at dinner I will order the steak and the lobster! But until then, you have to let me do this. Please don't let our first fight be over money."

Sam didn't know what to day. It was as if an elephant had decided to sit on his lungs. He couldn't breathe. He wanted to cry because of feelings.

This was the most amazing girl on the planet! She was beautiful and had a heart of gold. How could he have been so stupid to not see it for so long? It was difficult to form words and even harder to meet her intense stare.

He reached out and touched her cheek, caressing it gently while staring into her big chocolate eyes. Then he leaned over and kissed her very softly on the lips. "You are my _lor unil,_" he muttered under his breath.

Then he grinned at her. Before she could ask for a translation of what was just said he interrupted. "Movies, dinner… Mercedes Jones, are you asking me out?"

"Well, er… no, I… uh…" She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

_Oh my god she's blushing! I can actually see it. _Sam watched with delight as Mercedes fluffed her words and avoided his eyes. There was a very slight but definite glow to her cheeks, her breathing had rapidly sped up and he could see her pulse beating out on her neck, just above her breastbone. If he moved in closer he knew that he would probably feel the heat radiating from her. He decided to put her out of her misery.

He took her hands in his and marveled at their softness. "Because if you were, you'd be saving me the trouble of doing it myself." He said softly, with a smile.

She was biting her bottom lip again. _Was she mirroring his mannerisms now? _

"So does that make this our first date?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

He grinned. "Hell to the no! This is just coffee!" Her face fell until he continued, "I already have something special planned for our first date."

Her eyes grew large. He could see the questions forming behind them but he wasn't going to go there just yet. What he was going to do was get out of this damn car because it was getting harder and harder to just sit there without wanting to grab her and cause some mischief.

Again, as per the unspoken agreement they didn't hold hands as they walked through the parking lot, or through the entrance of the Lima Bean. Both were lost in their own thoughts until they were suddenly and rudely interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Oh! Look who's here!"

They froze like rabbits caught in headlights. Kurt and Blaine were sitting at a table right near the entrance and Kurt was dazzling them with a massive smile. Blaine had to turn in his seat to see who Kurt was referring to and he faced them with a smile equally as broad. "Hey! What are you guys doing here?"

Sam couldn't risk looking over to Mercedes. The brief glimpse he'd already caught told him that her facial expression read: _guilty as sin_! Mercedes Jones was not a liar.

He knew this was the time to just play it cool. "Just er… getting a coffee!" _Why lie?_

"We ran into each other in the parking lot." _Man, she sounded as guilty as she looked and that grin wasn't fooling anyone!_

Luckily the guys didn't appear to notice and Blaine continued, "We're on our way to get some sheet music. Tomorrow is my audition for the summer show at 6 Flags." He raised his hands to show that his fingers were crossed.

"Whereas _I_ am spending my summer composing Pip Pip Hooray!" He could see Blaine smiling and gently shaking his head at Kurt's words. Sam felt that there must have been a huge question mark hanging over his head because Kurt continued, "It's the Broadway musical about Pippa Middleton."

_Who the hell was that? _He vaguely remembered Kurt mentioning the name during his acceptance speech at prom but had never gotten around to ask him about it, not really wanting to broach the subject.

"I - I don't really know who that is," was his eventual lame response, "but it sounds totally awesome!" He hoped he didn't sound too clueless. Or worse still, sarcastic. Because he wasn't being. He genuinely had no clue and was busy making a mental note to ask Mercedes when they got back to the relative shelter and protection of her car.

She just laughed and slapped him on the arm. A little too hard actually. _Surely touching was making it obvious?_

Mercedes seemed to read his mind and hastily ended the conversation. "Uh – we'll see you in class!" she said as she practically dragged him away from the tortuous conversation.

"Bye guys!" They had already resumed whatever conversation they were having before they'd entered the coffee shop.

_Ok… So that WASN'T awkward…_

As soon as they were out of sight he looked back to make sure that the boys weren't still watching.

"Do you think they know?" Mercedes' eyes were wide with a combination of shock and nervousness.

"Nobody knows." He was too nervous to smile but he hoped his voice was reassuring as he silently took her hand while they queued for their coffee.

Kurt felt guilty. Blaine was still talking but his voice seemed to be fading into the background.

Mercedes Jones was no liar. _Just ran into each other in the parking lot…_

There could only be one reason for her to be so cagey and he fully intended to get it out of her.

Mercedes Jones and Sam Evans.

Kurt Hummel had to admit...

He never saw it coming…

* * *

**_End of part 1! I hope you enjoyed it!_**

**_So what does Kurt think he's worked out? What has Sam planned for Samcedes first date? And what the hell is wrong with his family? Look out for the sequel 40 Days Of Summer which continues immediately from where this leaves off!_**


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